Three Weeks Vacation
by Als4137
Summary: Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto, Hinata, Kiba, Shino, Ino, Shikarmaru, Chouji, Neji, Tenten, and Lee are staying on a tropical island inhabited by only one village. What will happen?
1. Settling In

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

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**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Settling In**

Sakura rummaged through the pile of clothing on her bed. "Ack! Curse Kakashi-sensei for not telling us about this trip earlier! Where's my jacket?"

Sakura spotted it lying under a lavender colored shirt. She dragged it out and hastily put it into her duffel bag. Sakura checked everything on her list again and finally satisfied, hoisted the bag onto her shoulder and rushed off towards the old Team 7's meeting place. They hardly got together anymore since they were all fully fledged shinobi's. Sasuke had returned from Orochimaru after he found out the latter was preparing him as a vessel. Sakura dashed up to the bridge and upon arriving, she spotted Naruto and Sasuke already waiting. Naruto waved to Sakura, and she smiled back. Sasuke gave a grunt to acknowledge her arrival. Sakura nodded to Sasuke. She was not that infatuated with Sasuke anymore, but she still felt twinges of longing. Sakura waited patiently for their sensei. However, after a half an hour, she was not so tolerant. Kakashi-sensei appeared as he usually did and smiled. "Sorry, I got lost on the road of life."  
Sakura screeched, "YOU LIAR!"  
Naruto scratched his head. "Didn't you already use that excuse?"  
Kakashi-sensei blinked. "I did? Oh well. We're late! The other teams are waiting!"

Sasuke muttered, "And I wonder whose fault it is?"

He led them towards the others. Sasuke asked dully, "Which teams are going?"

Kakashi-sensei responded, "Let's see. Rock Lee, Hyuga Neji, and Tenten. Hyuga Hinata, Kiba, and Aburame Shino. Ino, Shikamaru, and Akimichi Chouji. That's it!"  
They arrived at their destination. Kakashi-sensei turned to his former team and said, "We'll be taking a ship there. The ride will be around three hours."

Sakura protested, "Three hours? I. Will. Go. Crazy. Besides, how long is it from here to the ship?"

Kakashi-sensei grinned evilly. "It's only half an hour's walk to the ship. Oh well, live with it. We'll give you details on the ship."  
The teams chattered happily as they trekked towards the shore. Ino squealed happily, "Three weeks with my Sasuke! And no big-forehead girl will get in the way."

Sakura shot Ino a glare from over her shoulder. She muttered, "Ino-pig."

Shikamaru sighed. "Women…how troublesome."

In a half an hour, they arrived at the ship. They flocked, chatting, to their rooms. Each team shared one room. Each room had three built in bunks and one bathroom. Sakura dumped her things on the ship. She lay down, but Sasuke placed his hand on her arm. "What do you think you're doing? Kakashi-sensei told us to gather in the dining room with the other teams. They're telling us about the trip."

Sakura leapt up. "Oh! Let's go then."

The pair entered the dining room and found seats near the back. Kakashi-sensei smiled. "Well, about this trip. It's three weeks long, and it's on a tropical island."

He smiled as the ninjas shouted with delight. His smile turned into pure malice as he held up his hands and announced, "There are only a few people who live on that island. One village, if I remember correctly. The only other things on the island are four houses, small groves, trails, beaches, coves, and a freshwater lake. We," Here, Kakashi-sensei motioned the four sensei's standing on the stage, "are going to leave you there for three weeks. We'll come back to Konoha on this boat and return to you guys in three weeks."

Here, there was silence. The ninjas started muttering here. Sakura had been listening intently. She turned to Sasuke and asked, "Well…it will be fun…right?"

Sasuke shrugged, his face emotionless. Sakura rubbed her shoulders unknowingly. She smiled. "Well, I'm sure it will."

Sakura didn't notice Sasuke, who was staring rather strangely at her. The sensei's pondered more, then announced, "That's all, really. Three weeks of surviving on an island inhabited by one village. Easy!"

Sakura muttered, "Easy for them to say…"

Everybody else began to get up and leave. Sakura stood up as well and walked to the room she shared with Sasuke and Naruto. She was glad for the curtains she was able to pull around her bed for privacy. She secured the curtains and lay back on her bunk, staring at the ceiling. The door was slammed open. Naruto called, "Sakura-chan, want to get some ramen?"  
Sakura wasn't too keen on eating ramen, so she stayed quiet, hoping Naruto would go away. She heard him mutter, "Oh, I guess she isn't in here."

He ran away, shouting, "Sakura-chan, where are you? Wanna eat some ramen with me?"

Sakura let out a sigh of relief but sucked it back in as the door opened again. Sasuke's voice could be heard. "Don't worry, it's just me. I won't tell that dobe you're in here."

Sakura smiled and said aloud, "Thanks, Sasuke…kun."

She heard him stop as she added the suffix as an afterthought. He turned towards her curtained bunk and asked, "Do…do you still love me?"  
Sakura stared into space, thinking about it. _Sometimes, I do…it's weird…how do I tell you?_ She didn't say anything, and Sasuke dropped the subject. Sakura fell asleep to the gentle pitching of the ship. Sasuke opened the curtains slightly and stared down at her face. _Peaceful, serene, and fragile. She was always fragile._ He drew the curtains around her again and secured it. He lay in his bunk, and was fast asleep in moments as well. Sakura was woken painfully. She discovered herself on the ground. _Ow…that hurt…How did I get down here?_ Sakura staggered up to find she couldn't balance. A sudden pitch of the ship sent her tripping…onto Sasuke's bunk. Sakura yelled, "Sasuke-kun, watch out!"

Sasuke immediately sat up, and the first thing he saw was Sakura falling face-first onto him. Sasuke was slammed backwards into his bunk. He muttered a muffled, "Ow."

Sakura sat up right after she fell. Her face was beet red as was Sasuke's. She stammered, "Sasuke-kun! Sorry…! I d-didn't mean to k-kiss you!"  
Sasuke muttered, "It's ok…can you get off me legs now?"  
Sakura scrambled off Sasuke's bunk, still beet red. Suddenly, she didn't feel good. Sasuke noticed it and asked, "Hey, Sakura…your face doesn't look very healthy…"

Sakura dashed into the bathroom and started throwing up into the sink. Sasuke flopped back onto his bed and muttered, "Oh shit."

He stepped onto the floor and told Sakura, "I'll get you some napkins."

Sasuke walked out the room and to the dining room in hopes of finding some napkins for Sakura. He asked the waitress there, "You have any napkins or towels or something?"

The waitress giggled and battered her eyelashes. She purred, "Over there, on the counter."

Sasuke rolled his eyes at her and returned to his room with some paper towels. "Hey, Sakura, you feel better?"

Sakura was sitting on her bunk. She took the towels from him gratefully. "Thanks, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke retreated into his bunk and pulled the curtains around him again. Sakura exited the room, but called back, "I'll be somewhere on deck if you need anything."

Sasuke didn't reply, so Sakura left. She breathed in the air, feeling much better. However, she hadn't gotten her 'sea legs' yet, so when the ship pitched again, she was half way over the rail before someone grabbed her arm. Sakura screamed, but Rock Lee pulled her over to safety. Sakura sat on the deck, her face sweaty, and panted, "Thanks, Lee-kun!"

Sasuke appeared a moment later, glancing around. He spotted Sakura on the ground and walked over. "You scream?"

Sakura nodded. "I nearly fell overboard. Lee-kun helped me though."

Lee glared at Sasuke, as if challenging him. Sasuke returned the glare evenly, then broke the contact. He shrugged. "Well, I heard you scream."  
With that, he retreated below deck again. Sakura wiped some sweat away and stood up. She asked, "Do you know where the others are?"

Lee answered, "Yeah, they're in the entertainment room below deck."

Sakura nodded her thanks and left, heading towards the entertainment room. There, she found Tenten, Hinata, and Ino with some cards. Kiba and Shikamaru were playing pool. Tenten hailed Sakura, "Hey, Sakura, want to play cards with us?"  
Sakura declined. She trotter over and said, "I'd prefer to watch."

Tenten nodded and they resumed their game. After a half an hour, Sakura grew bored, so she headed back to their room. She checked her watch. _Oh good, another hour, and we'll be off this ship._

Sakura opened the door and sat on her bunk. She dug through her duffel bag and took out a magazine. She was reading it when Naruto bounded in the room, shouting, "Boy, that was great! Anybody up for a swim in the pool?"

Sasuke threw the curtains back, glaring at Naruto. "I was resting, undisturbed, until you came along. Leave."  
Naruto made a face. "You can't make me."  
Sasuke just growled in return and drew the curtains. Sakura waved at Naruto absent-mindedly. "Go ask Chouji or someone if they want to swim…we're busy."  
Naruto pulled a sad face but Sasuke's thrown shoe made him run out the door. Sasuke flopped back, not bothering to draw the curtains. He watched Sakura intently as she laid stomach-down on her bunk, engrossed with the magazine. Sakura felt someone staring at her, looked up, saw Sasuke staring, and blushed. Sasuke quickly looked away, blushing as well. Sakura resumed to her magazine. All too quickly, the ship's horn blew, and Sakura stuffed the magazine back in her bag hastily. She informed the still unmoving Sasuke, "We've arrived. Come on."

Sasuke sat up and grabbed his bag. He headed out the door with Sakura in his wake. They all filed off the ship and stared about them in wonder. Sakura shook the hair out of her face as she stared around the island. It was actually pretty nice. The ship's horn blew again, and soon it was lost to sight. Neji and Sasuke started walking towards the houses in sight. Sakura thought, _So each team to a house…_She saw Sasuke open the door of one and go inside. Sakura followed him, and gasped. The house was very clean and neat. She stood in the doorway and surveyed everything. The living room was laid out in front of her. It had three sofas, a table in the middle, and a fireplace in front of them. Sakura walked into the house and turned right. The kitchen connected to the living room. There was a stove, a fridge, a microwave, a cabinet of silverware, and a table with three seats. She headed into the hallway connecting the living room and the bedrooms. There were three rooms. Sasuke had already picked out a room for himself. It was to the left of all the rooms. Sakura entered the one in the middle and set her bag on the table. The house wasn't too shabby, but it wasn't the best either. Sakura checked the fridge. "Hn…no food."

She then spotted a purse and a note on the counter. She scanned the note and picked up the bag. _Wow! There's enough money in here to buy enough food for the three weeks! No wonder…_Sakura dropped the note in the trash can and put the small bag of money under her mattress. _If Naruto gets to this and wastes it on ramen, we are so dead._ She turned around to find Sasuke standing there. He smirked, "You think you can hide stuff from me? What's that?"

Sakura knew Sasuke was smart enough not to tell Naruto, so she showed him. Sakura explained, "Kakashi-sensei left us some money to buy food for the rest of the time…he said the other senseis did the same. We can't tell Naruto, otherwise he'll waste it on ramen."  
Sasuke nodded and headed out the room. Sakura watched his retreating back. _Muscular back, way too cool hair-WAIT! WHAT AM I THINKING?_ Sakura shook her head and started unpacking her things. After she put all her clothes into the closet provided, she sought out Sasuke. Sakura tugged Sasuke's arm. "Hey, have you seen a washer around here?"  
Sasuke straightened up from unpacking. "Yeah, I think it's in that little room with the vacuum and stuff."

Sakura checked on it, and finally satisfied, she announced, "I'm going out to buy food!"  
Sasuke emerged from his room and walked across the living room. "I'll come, to make sure you don't get lost or something."

Sakura rolled her eyes as she picked up the keys to the house. "I don't get lost that easily."

The wind was breezy as Sakura and Sasuke traveled to the village. They were both on a small hill when Sakura turned back to see how everyone else was doing. She started giggling and said aloud, "There's Ino-pig trying to get Shikamaru to do something…Fat chance, though…Chouji is just eating as usual and-"

She stopped when Sasuke tapped her. "Sakura…let's go."

Sakura cast one more glance back and ran after Sasuke. They arrived in the village, purchased the food, and were walking through a peaceful grove without incident. Sakura was completely at peace, because of the serenity of the grove. Sasuke suddenly stopped, and Sakura turned around. "What's the matter?"

Sasuke looked like he was going to say something, but he shook his head and continued walking. They reached their house, and Sakura opened the door to let them in. She stored all the food in the refrigerator and put the keys back on its hook. Sasuke watched her with guarded eyes and went back into his room. Sakura started cooking dinner. Naruto bounded in. "Hey, Sakura-chan! How about some ramen for dinner?"  
Sakura made a face. "I hate ramen. We'll have something decent tonight…like soup!"  
Naruto whined, but Sasuke appeared in front of Naruto. He growled, "Stop complaining. We'll eat whatever Sakura cooks."

Sakura blushed. "Uh, haha, well, you see, I've never really cooked before…ahaha…"

Naruto and Sasuke sweatdropped. Sakura reassured them hastily, "Don't worry, it won't be that bad! I mean, how hard is soup?"

It turned out soup was hard to cook. Sakura cursed for the fifth time as she burned her finger again. She jammed it into her mouth and sighed. Sakura put the pot of soup on the table and announced, "Dinner's ready."

Naruto poked his head out of the hallway. He had plugged his nose. Sakura demanded, "Why are you doing that?"

Naruto smiled sheepishly. "There's this really nasty smell radiating from the kitchen."

Sakura advanced on Naruto. "Did. You. Insult. My. Soup?"  
Naruto backed away, stammering, "No! Of course not!"  
Sakura smiled evilly. "Well, you're drinking it!"

Naruto dashed outside the house screaming, "I'm too young to die!"

The residents of the other three houses shouted, "If you don't shut up, you WILL die young!"

Naruto ran back into the house and into his room. Sakura's bottom lip quivered. "It's not that bad, right?"  
Sasuke appeared and sampled a bit of the soup. His face turned an unhealthy color, and he muttered something about needing to use the bathroom as he staggered off. Naruto came creeping back. He took a sip and brightened. "Hey, it's good!"  
Sakura blinked. "Really? I don't think Sasuke-kun liked it."

Sakura took a sip of the soup. She nearly threw up. Sakura screeched, "Naruto, you idiot, this does not taste good! You've had too much ramen!"

Sakura grabbed the handles of the pot. She shrieked, "I am flinging this into the ocean! It tastes like shit!"

Naruto was almost sobbing as he tried to cling to it. "No, Sakura-chan, I'll drink it! It's good!"

Sakura dumped the contents of the soup into a small ditch she found nearby. Naruto yelled, "Sakura-chan, that was the best soup I've ever drank!"

Sakura glared at Naruto, then sighed. "I need to ask Hinata, Ino, and Tenten for some tips."

She walked to their house and asked. Ino opened the door. "What do you want?"

Sakura asked, "Do you know how to cook?'

Ino sighed. "No. We had ramen for dinner."

Sakura muttered, "Never mind."

She visited Tenten next and asked her the same question. Tenten's reply was scornful. "Do I look like a cooking type of person? I train. Not cook."

Sakura crossed her fingers and prayed Hinata knew how to cook. She asked Hinata, "Do you know how to cook, Hinata?"

Hinata stammered, "A…A little bit."

Sakura brightened up. "Could you teach me tomorrow? I can't cook."  
Hinata nodded, and gave Sakura a bowl of rice balls. "Here…you m-must be hungry."

Sakura smiled. "Thanks, Hinata!"

Sakura rushed back to their house and showed the food to Sasuke and Naruto. "Hinata was so kind, she donated this to us."  
Sasuke ate in silence, but Naruto commented the whole time, "Sakura-chan, your soup was better."  
Sakura ignored him. She cleared away the table, changed into her sleeping clothes, and fell asleep in her room. Sakura was woken up by a growl. Soon, she figured out where it was from. _A bear! Outside the house! The soup!_ Sakura jumped as the bear growled again. She ran to Sasuke's room and knocked furiously. Sasuke opened the door, annoyed. "What?"

Sakura was momentarily stunned speechless because Sasuke wasn't wearing a shirt. A growl from the bear made her hug Sasuke in fright, burying her head in his shoulder. "Sasuke-kun…I'm scared…can I stay in your room?"  
Sasuke groaned. He went into Sakura's room, took her blankets and pillow, and put it on his bed. "You sleep there."

Sakura clambered in quickly. Sasuke muttered, "You better be grateful…"

Sakura fell asleep quickly. Sasuke stared at her. Her pink hair felt as soft as cotton, and it framed her angelic face. Sasuke closed his eyes, facing her, and fell asleep soon as well.


	2. Day 1: Sunday

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

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**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Day 1: Sunday**

Sakura woke up in the morning and wondered why she was in Sasuke's room. She shook her head as she remembered what had happened last night. Sasuke was nowhere in sight, so Sakura hurriedly walked to her room to change. Sakura sifted through her clothing and picked out a baby blue shirt and some white pants. She grabbed her jacket and exited her room. Sakura found Sasuke in the kitchen. She stifled a giggle as she watched Sasuke trying to make breakfast. Sasuke was clumsily chopping fruits into irregular pieces. She walked over and laughed, "Sasuke-kun, I'll do that. What are you planning to make?"  
Sasuke answered, "Fruit salad…just chop up a bunch of fruits and throw them in a bowl."  
Sakura nodded. "Simplistic, easy to make, and tasty. Good idea."  
For the next fifteen minutes, they worked in silence. Sakura glanced at the clock. _7:00…not too early for Naruto to eat breakfast, I hope._ Sasuke said aloud, as if reading Sakura's mind, "Naruto better get up soon, cuz I'm not waiting for him to eat."

Sakura put the knife down and scraped the fruits into a bowl. "I'll go rouse him then."

She walked up to Naruto's door and knocked. She called softly, "Naruto…time to wake up."

Naruto's muffled voice could be heard, "I don't want to…it's only seven!"

Sakura's patience slipped a notch. She threatened, "Then Sasuke-kun and I will eat all of the breakfast, and you won't get any!"  
She immediately heard clambering. "Wait, wait, wait! Hold on, don't eat all of it!"  
Sakura chuckled quietly as she returned to the kitchen. Sakura rummaged in the fridge, asking, "Where's the orange juice we bought yesterday?"  
Sasuke replied, "On the table behind you."

Sakura turned around sheepishly. Sasuke was already setting the table. Sakura poured the juice for the three and sat down. Sasuke sat down as well, but despite his words, he didn't eat yet. Naruto came charging out of his room, wearing his clothes lopsidedly. He grinned and asked, "What's for breakfast, ramen?"  
Sakura sighed. "Naruto…we're not having ramen for breakfast. Fruit salad. Just eat it."

Naruto grumbled loudly, "Sakura-chan, you better learn to cook fast because I'll waste away living on this rabbit food."  
Sakura smacked him on the head with her hand. "Be quiet, you ungrateful wretch, or else I'll cook up some poison and force feed you!"  
Naruto made a face and finished his portion before Sasuke and Sakura finished. He bounded out the door, calling back, "I'll be at Shikamaru's! See you later!"  
Sakura stood up and cleared away the dishes. She picked up one of the three keys to the house and informed Sasuke, "I'll be at Hinata's if you need anything."  
Sasuke nodded in reply. Sakura left the house and locked it securely. She stopped to survey the view. The houses were situated on a hill one mile from the sea. They could see the sea stretched before them, because there was a cliff separating the houses and the sea. Behind the houses, they could see many little groves of trees and the village on the other side of all these groves. There were many trails, but there was one path that led directly to the village. Bordering those paths were shops, lodges, entertainment lodges, and other buildings. Sakura headed to the house to her left. She knocked on the door. "Hinata! It's me, Sakura!"  
Hinata opened the door. She was clad in an apron, and she was holding a wooden spoon. Hinata smiled brightly. "Just in t-time, Sakura! I was c-cooking lunch!"

Sakura stepped in the house. Its layout was exactly the same as theirs. She sniffed appreciatively at the aroma drifting in the kitchen. "You have to teach me how to cook some simple stuff…cuz I'm hopeless!"

Hinata smiled, and they spent the rest of the morning making a large lunch. Noon rolled around, and somebody knocked on the door. Sakura wiped her hands on her apron and opened the door. "Sasuke-kun! What do you need?"  
Sasuke asked, "Have you decided what to eat for lunch yet?"

Sakura answered, "Hinata and I cooked enough food for everyone! I think I got the hang of it now!"  
Sasuke muttered, "Good, as long as we don't have that poison you cooked again."  
Sakura gave him a reproving glare. He half smiled. "I was just kidding."  
Sakura laughed and watched him walk away. _He actually can be nice if he wants to._ She returned to Hinata. "All done?"

Hinata nodded. "We just n-need somebody to b-bring the table out."  
Sakura brightened. "I bet Sasuke-kun will help!"

She took off the apron and ran to their house. She knocked on the door. Sasuke opened it. Sakura asked, "Will you move out Hinata's table in front of their house? We're gonna put all the food on there, and everyone can grab what they want."

Sasuke agreed dully. He and Kiba moved the table out. Hinata and Sakura set it with food, and everyone enjoyed lunch. After lunch, Ino gushed, "Sakura, Hinata, Tenten, I found this really great place where we can hold a dance just for us twelve! Won't that be fun?"  
Tenten and Hinata agreed. "That would be cool. But we'd have to get the bands and stuff."  
Ino waved that aside. "Already found one! I reserved a time for all of us! Next Friday, 7:00 to 9:00! I got a band and everything!"  
Sakura reluctantly agreed. "I guess…"

Ino giggled. She exclaimed, "Then we need to buy dresses! And we need to the others!"

Sakura nodded and left to find Sasuke and Naruto. She went straight to Sasuke's room and knocked. "Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke opened the door and returned to his bed, lying face up. Sakura stammered a bit by his silence. "Um, Ino set up a dancenext Fridaynight at seven…do you want to come? Everyone else will be there."

Sasuke hesitated, then nodded. Sakura exited the room and sought out Naruto. She told him, and he agreed enthusiastically. Ino suddenly pounced on Sakura, slinging an arm around her shoulder. "Hey, Sakura, let's go get a dress! Hinata and Tenten are coming with us!"

Sakura agreed. "Let me get my money."

She dashed back in the house, grabbed her wallet, and followed the three girls. Ino dashed into the nearest shop, and they all followed obediently. Sakura looked around. _I guess something comfortable then._ Soon, she was engrossed in choosing her dress, as was the other girls. "Hey, Hinata, how about this one? Light pink?"  
Hinata agreed. Sakura ran to try it on. She came back out and twirled around. "What about it?"

Hinata nodded. "It's so pretty, Sakura!"  
The dress Sakura chose had thin straps. There were patterns of sakura petals drifting in the wind all around the dress. It ended at her knees. Hinata held up a pair of white, sandal-type shoes. Sakura tried those on, agreed that she was done, and paid for it all. Ino had chosen a plain, sky blue dress that fell past her knees a bit. The sleeves were elbow length and see through. She announced, "I have some shoes back at our house."  
Tenten settled for a dark blue dress with thicker straps. It was as long as her knees, and it felt like satin. She bought black high heels to go with her dress. Hinata purchased a violet dress that had long sleeves and fell past her knees. She also bought some white high heels. They were walking home with Ino chattering all the way. "This will be so fun! Sasuke will definitely choose me as his date!"  
Sakura was a bit annoyed by Ino's constant talking, so she retorted rather crossly, "Wanna bet?"

Ino smirked. "How much do you bet?"

Sakura snapped, "If he asks me, you owe me ten bucks."

Ino stuck out her hand, and Sakura shook it. "And if he doesn't ask you, but asks me, you owe me ten bucks."

The two girls agreed, and there was a little bit of tension in the air during the rest of the walk home. Sakura went straight to her room and fell on her bed. _Why did I do that? Oh man, I am so doomed._ Sakura continued to lie there, and she was so deep in her thoughts, she jumped with fright when Sasuke suddenly said, "Something wrong?"  
Sakura calmed down after a few minutes. She stuttered, "N-nothing!"

Sasuke smirked as he came in and sat on her bed. _She's just like what she was named for…pretty and fragile._ "I scared you, didn't I?"  
Sakura stuck her tongue out at him. "No way! I was just thinking."  
Sasuke raised his eyebrow. "About what?"  
Sakura replied automatically, "About this bet Ino and I made about-"

Sakura swallowed the word she was going to say and instead said, "-the dance."  
Sasuke shook his head. "Yeah right. You were going to say something else, but I'm not pushing it."

Sakura smiled slightly. She asked lightly, "What do you want to eat for dinner? I can cook anything now!"

Sasuke smirked. "Anything? Then how about those gourmet cuisines they serve at that one fancy restaurant back in Konoha?"

Sakura punched him playfully. "I mean anything simple! Jeez, your such a pushover!"

Sasuke stood up and stretched. "I don't really care…"

Sakura smiled. "Then I'll cook something I like."

Sasuke muttered, "It better be good."  
Sakura rolled her eyes as Sasuke left the room. However, he suddenly stopped. "Hey, Sakura…are you going with anyone to the dance?"

Sakura's heart started thumping double speed. "No, why?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Just wondering, cuz Naruto was looking for someone to go with."

Sakura's face fell. She thought Sasuke was going to ask her, but he didn't. Sakura tried to sound cheerful. "Well, tell him to ask Hinata."

Sasuke studied her face for a moment. _I wonder why she's so disappointed?_ "Okay, I will."  
Sakura sighed. She walked into the living room and curled up on the window seat. She pressed her forehead to the glass and looked at the sunset forlornly. _It's so pretty…_She turned her head as she heard someone walk up behind her. Sakura turned her attention to the sunset again. Sasuke sat on the window seat with her. He stared at the sunset for a moment. Then, he asked, "Why were you so disappointed back there?"  
Sakura scowled at the glass, fogging it up. "Why do you care?"  
Sasuke whispered inaudibly, "Because…I care…about you…"

Sakura asked, "What did you say?"  
Sasuke shook his head. "Nothing."  
Sakura stood up, a little irritated by his attitude. "Well, okay, I'm going out. I'll be back later to cook something for dinner."

Sasuke watched her slam the door on her way out. _Something's wrong…_Sakura walked along the trail leading down to the cove. There, she sat skipping rocks moodily. Suddenly, she heard rocks crashing together and looked behind her. Naruto was slipping down the slope, yelling his head off. "Whoa, whoa, aah!"

He fell face-first on the sand. Sakura giggled as she pulled him up. "Naruto, you idiot!"  
Naruto sat up smiling his signature fox grin. "Hiya, Sakura-chan! Watcha doing?"

Sakura sighed blissfully. "Nothing really, just skipping rocks to pass the time."

Naruto cheered. "I bet I can skip this rock farther than you!"  
Sakura retorted playfully, "Oh yeah? Beat eight then!"

Naruto sweatdropped. "Okay…now, how do you skip rocks again?"

Sakura laughed and pushed him in the sea. "Dobe, how will you beat me if you don't know how to skip rocks?"

Naruto resurfaced and squeaked, "Sakura-chan, I can't swim!"

Sakura sat up. The waves were bringing him closer to land, so she didn't really have anything to worry about. "So? The waves are bringing you closer, anyway."  
Naruto spluttered as the waves sent him crashing into the sand. The sand clung to him. Sakura started rolling him around until he was covered in sand. Naruto jumped up, spitting sand everywhere. "Yuck Sakura-chan! What was that for?"

Sakura giggled. "It was fun!"

Ino came down the trail calling, "Sakura! What are you doing?"

Sakura waved and called back, "Skipping rocks! I'm just killing time, really."

Ino jumped the rest of the way and joined Sakura. She smirked. "I used to be the champion rock-skipper when I was little. Can you beat five?"

Sakura fingered a flat, smooth rock. She flung it accurately and smiled. "Eight. Yup, I can beat five."

Ino colored. She laughed scornfully, "That was beginner's luck!"

Sakura picked up another smooth, round rock. She flung it again this time. "Eight. Not beginner's luck, now is it?"

Soon, everyone was down at the cove, skipping rocks. It soon became a contest with the winner's reward being the title of 'Supreme Rock-Skipper'. Sakura thought wryly, _Like anyone would want that title…unless you're Naruto._ Shikamaru studied the water and his rock for a few minutes before throwing it with a twist of his wrist. Sakura counted with disbelief, "One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten! No way!"

Sakura immediately leapt up and brushed herself off. She grabbed another rock and studied the water, but all she could get was eight. Sakura moaned, "And I thought eight was high!"

Ino smirked, "Well, it's hardly unexpected. After all, Shikamaru is the number one genius around here."

Sasuke, who heard, muttered sarcastically, "Yeah, including me of course, right?"

Shikamaru heard it and shoved his face in front of Sasuke's. "Yeah. Cuz I'm number one, or do you have some hearing problems?"

Sasuke retorted, "I can make you have hearing problems, if you want."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes languidly. "As if I would let you. How troublesome."

Sasuke glared at Shikamaru before heading to the house he shared with Sakura and Naruto.

Shikamaru stared after him, muttering, "What a troublesome guy."

Sakura sighed. She was looking forward to a peaceful afternoon, but with Sasuke like that, it was hardly possible. _I wish he would lighten up._ Sakura accidentally said aloud, "Why won't Sasuke-kun lighten up a little bit?"

Ino tossed her head. "I bet I could get him to lighten up before dinner, Sakura!"

Sakura muttered, "Whatever. You do what you want, see if you don't get him pissed off some more?"  
Ino let out a small 'humph' and walked up the trail into Sasuke's house. The rest were quiet until Ino suddenly came back down, anger bouncing off her in heat waves. Sakura asked innocently, "What's wrong?"

Ino screeched, "Sasuke is so unfeeling! That-!"

Chouji interrupted, "Ino, aren't you supposed to like Sasuke?"  
Ino blushed and immediately switched modes, "Oh, Sasuke was just a bit grumpy, that's all!"

Sakura cleared her throat. "Translation: I pissed off Sasuke-kun."

Everyone sniggered with laughter as Ino's face turned red. She stormed into her house again. Hinata stuttered, "M-Maybe we hurt her f-feelings?"

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Who cares?"

Sakura stood up, brushed off her pants and headed towards the trail. "I have to go cook dinner! Later, guys!"

She turned on the stove and decided to make soup one more time to see if her skills did improve. Sasuke appeared in the doorway, looking extremely pissed off. Sakura wiped her hands nervously. "What?"

Sasuke's face relaxed. "Oh, it's just you…and not that damn Ino."

Sakura thought, _I won't even ask…I bet Ino got what she deserved though! _In a half an hour, Sakura finished up the soup and called Sasuke and Naruto to eat. Sasuke sat down emotionlessly like usual, and Naruto was making noise all over the place. Sakura dished out the soup in silence, and throughout the meal, Sasuke and Sakura remained silent. Naruto kept talking about how Shikamaru accidentally pushed Chouji into the sea. Sakura cleared away the dishes, and retired to her room. She pulled out the magazine she was reading on the ship, and it occupied her for a while. Soon, Sakura got tired of it and crept into the living room. She curled up on the window seat again, staring out into the night with her knees tucked to her chest. There wasn't really anything interesting to see. Sakura looked in the reflection of the cold glass. To her surprise, Sasuke stood behind her, hands in pocket as usual. Sakura started talking, her breath fogging up the glass. "What are you doing here?"  
Sasuke responded dully, "Looking at the view."  
Sakura remained silent. She shivered and remained looking out the window. Sasuke asked, "Why are you shivering? It's not that cold."

The pink haired girl thought wryly, _He usually doesn't start a conversation…_Sakura shrugged. "I think it's cold. But then again, you're a block of ice yourself."

Sasuke smiled slightly at her teasing. Suddenly, he moved very close behind Sakura. He asked grudgingly, "Better?"

Sakura nodded sleepily. "Yeah…Sasuke-kun…"

Sasuke's close proximity gave warm to Sakura. She sighed contently and without knowing, she leaned into Sasuke. Warm and comfortable, Sakura soon drifted off to sleep. The Uchiha boy carried Sakura to her room and laid her gently on her bed. He stared at her for a few more seconds and left the room, thinking, _Will I ever tell you I love you, Sakura? Probably not._ He retired to his room and fell asleep dreaming about Sakura.

* * *

AN: Eh, not too exciting, but I'm just killing time in the story. I promise, it'll get better later on! And I've decided I'll give a shot at some more pairings. Tenten and Neji, Naruto and Hinata, Ino and Shikamaru. That's all I've decided on. If anybody requests another pair, I'll consider it. If the pairings suck, don't hurt me, it's my first time writing about them! But advice is gladly taken, just no flames! 


	3. Day 2: Monday

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

* * *

**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Day 2: Monday**

Sakura woke up to the sunshine streaming into her window. She spotted Naruto near the curtains, grinning like an idiot. Sakura threw an arm across her eyes. "Naruto, you dobe, what are you doing in my room?"

Naruto replied cheerfully, "Rise and shine, Sakura-chan! It's already nine!"

Sakura slid out of bed speedily. She checked her clock, and for once, Naruto spoke the truth. She screeched, "Nine? Why didn't you wake me up earlier?"

Sasuke appeared in the doorway, a spatula in one hand, and looking rather annoyed. "We did, but you kicked Naruto in the eye and punched me in the face. You also said something like, 'Go away, you bastards.'"

Sakura covered her mouth. "Oh man! Did I really? Gomen, Sasuke-kun and Naruto! Now, get out of my room so I can change!"

The two boys obeyed promptly. Sakura chose her clothing quickly, thinking, _I wonder if Ino has anything planned out for us today._ She rushed into the kitchen and burst out giggling at the two boys, attempting to cook breakfast. Naruto was hopping all over the place, yelling his head off. "Ow, I burned my finger! Stupid omelette!"

Sasuke was cursing silently as he glared at the mess in the pan. Sakura slid over and peered at it. "What is that?"

Sasuke dumped it in the garbage quickly to save himself from embarrassment. Naruto scratched his head. "We were going to make you a surprise breakfast, but it didn't work."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I'm not hungry. I'm going over to Ino's, so if you need anything, find me there."  
She hopped out the door easily and walked to Ino's house, savoring the cold, morning air. Ino opened the door before Sakura even reached it. She smiled. "Hey, Sakura!"

Sakura waved. "Are we doing anything today? Anything fun?"

Ino nodded. "I thought maybe all the girls could get together and hang out or something."  
Sakura nodded. "Okay, I'll go get Tenten and Hinata."

Ino disappeared into the house while Sakura fetched the others. Tenten and Hinata agreed immediately and soon, the four girls were in Ino's bedroom. She handed them a mug of coffee and announced, "Let's play truth or dare."

Sakura winced as did Tenten. Hinata, being shy, nodded her head. Ino glared Sakura and Tenten into submission, then scowled as a knock on the door interrupted them. Shikamaru shouted through the door, "I'm inviting the guys over!"  
The other three girls covered their ears as Ino shrieked, "No! Go meet in another house!"

The lazy genius replied, "Too bad, they're already here!"

Ino turned red, but an evil smile crept across her features, and she calmed down. "Fine, do whatever you want."

Sakura noticed the look and asked, "Ino…why did you change all of the sudden?"

Ino smiled sweetly. "They will be perfect for the game."

Tenten's eyes opened wide with horror. "Hell no."

Ino laughed. "You betcha!"

Sakura looked confused. "What are you talking about?"

Tenten looked horror-struck, and Ino was giggling. "You'll see, Sakura!"

Ino turned to Hinata. "Hinata! Truth or dare?"

Hinata stammered, "D-Dare!"

Ino looked surprised. "I thought you were going to pick truth! Well, Hinata, I dare you to kiss Naruto! On the cheek, of course."

Hinata turned the color of a tomato. "I-Ino! Are y-you serious?"

Ino smiled wickedly. She nodded. Hinata tottered out the door with the other three girls hard on her heels. They waited in the doorway while Hinata made her way to the living room, where a few boys were gathered. She spotted Naruto laughing loudly at something. Hinata gulped and she poked her index fingers together. She stammered, "N-Naruto-kun…"

He turned around with a big grin on his face, which only made Hinata turn a brighter shade of pink. She quickly brushed her lips against Naruto's cheek and ran back to the room. Sasuke, Kiba, Shino, and Shikamaru stared after her. Kiba looked extremely pissed off. "What the hell was that for? Why did she kiss a dobe like Naruto?"

Naruto protested, "I'm not a dobe, unlike you, Kiba."

Kiba stood up angrily and punched Naruto. Sasuke smirked. "This will be interesting."

In Ino's room, Tenten was smiling, Sakura was giggling, and Ino was howling with laughter. She gasped, "You should have seen Naruto's face!"

Tenten added, "What about Kiba's face? I can hear them beating the crap out of each other right now."

Poor Hinata was red as a tomato. Sakura patted her. "Don't worry, Hinata, he won't think you're weird."

Just then, they heard Naruto shout, "I didn't think Hinata was weird, but now I change my mind. What about you, Kiba?"

They heard Kiba give a half-snarl half-roar and glass breaking. Tears popped into Hinata's eyes. Sakura closed her eyes. "I will kill you, Naruto."

Sakura smiled apologetically at Hinata. "I'm sure Naruto didn't mean it. I'll make him apologize to you, later, Hinata."

Hinata nodded, trembling. Sakura announced happily, "Well, Hinata, your turn."

Hinata stammered, "S-Sakura, you can g-go."

Sakura smiled her thanks and asked Ino, "Truth or dare?"

Ino smirked. "I'm not afraid. Dare."

Sakura mocked her, "You can kiss your pride, buh-bye! I dare you to kiss Shikamaru on the cheek!"

Ino sat up. "Why not Sasuke? Besides, why kiss a boy when I can do something else?"

Sakura glanced at the tearful Hinata. "Payback. Besides, I don't want you kissing my Sasuke-kun!"

Ino stormed out the door. She stormed all the way to Shikamaru, who looked apprehensive. He started saying, "I didn't do it."

Ino declared angrily, "I just want to say, my heart and soul is completely devoted to Sasuke, and this means nothing!"

She bent down stiffly and pecked Shikamaru on the cheek. Ino marched away back into the room. Shikamaru's mouth fell open. "Nani? What was that all about?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Girl stuff. Whatever."

Ino threatened Sakura, "You will pay for that, Sakura!"

She shrugged indifferently. Tenten giggled, then declared, "It's my turn. Sakura! Truth or dare?"

Sakura pondered. "Dare, I guess. After all, I am no spoilsport!"

Tenten covered her mouth and giggled. "Sakura, I dare you to kiss Sasuke's cheek now!"

She smiled. "I'll do that willingly!"

Ino grabbed Sakura's arm. "No way! Why does she get that dare?"

Hinata smiled slightly. "We m-might as w-well make t-this game a k-kissing game!"

Tenten grinned. Sakura walked out the door towards Sasuke. She put her hands behind her back and approached Sasuke cautiously. Sasuke glared at her. "What do you want?"

Sakura bit her lip. "Umm, Sasuke-kun, don't take this personally."

She thought, _Actually, do take it personally, but I won't say that out loud._ She leaned down and brushed her lips swiftly against Sasuke's cheek. He remained frozen with shock for a moment while Sakura headed back to the room. _Wow, she's a great kisser…I wouldn't mind if she-Did I just enjoy that? Whoa, this cannot be happening._ He yelled at her, blushing, "What was that for?"

Naruto pointed out, "Sasuke, you're blushing. Is that even possible?"

Sasuke cracked his knuckles and Naruto gulped. Sakura disappeared behind the door. Ino looked ready to pound Sakura into the dirt, while Tenten grinned. "Did you enjoy that, Sakura?"

Sakura blushed. "Well, yeah, I guess."

Kiba gawked at the other boys, then yelled, "What's up with the girls coming in here and kissing us? Why didn't Shino and I get kissed? I feel left out!"

Shino turned his head towards Kiba. "I don't want to get kissed, thanks. You can if you want, but I'll pass."

Ino heard Kiba's shout and smirked. Hinata stuttered, "T-Tenten, truth or d-dare."

Tenten sighed. "Dare, like everyone else. What are you going to dare me to do, kiss Kiba or Shino? Blech!"

Hinata smiled slightly. "N-No, I d-dare you t-to n-not touch your weapons f-for today!"

Tenten protested, but then sighed longingly. "Okay, but I'll sure miss not being able to take out my kunai to threaten Lee when he starts dreaming about Sakura."

Ino sighed. "This game is pretty much turning into a kissing game. What's the point of it? Let's get some lunch."

Sakura stood up and opened the door. She followed Ino into the kitchen. Ino shouted at the boys, "Do you guys want lunch?"

They shook their heads warily. Tenten snorted at them, her hand inching temptingly to her kunai holster. "You think we're going to bombard you with kisses now? Sheesh!"

Naruto scratched his head. "Well, yeah, something like that."

Tenten was about to grab her kunai, but Hinata coughed. So instead, the weapon master walked to Naruto, a vein in her forehead throbbing and clamped her hands around his neck firmly, throttling him. "You idiot! Why would we do that?"

Naruto writhed. "Well, you were doing it a minute ago!"

Tenten shook him. "It's called truth or dare, you dobe! You know, the game?"

She released him and stormed out of the house. Sakura stared after her. "Wow. Was that really Tenten? She normally doesn't act like that. Hormones kicking in or something?"

Ino replied sarcastically, "No, that was an alien who took over Tenten's body."

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I knew that all along! I mean, it's so obvious!"

Ino slapped her forehead. Kiba whacked him. "She was being sarcastic! Gee, you really are an idiot!"

Sasuke stood up. "I'm leaving. This is pointless. Besides, I have things to do."

He left the house. Sakura ate her sandwich in silence, then thanked Ino. "I better return to my house."

Ino nodded, and Sakura let herself into the house. _I wonder why Tenten acted like that. Something must be bothering her._ Sakura brushed it from her mind. She decided, _Sasuke-kun was right. I better start training._ Sakura changed into her outfit she wore when training. She grabbed her kunai holster and strapped it on. Sakura opened the door and headed out the house. She stood there, wondering where a good place to train would be, when somebody tapped her shoulder. Sakura spun around. Sasuke stood there and asked her, "Are you training?"

She nodded wordlessly. Sasuke continued, "So am I. Looking for a place, right?"

Sakura smiled ruefully. "Yeah, do you have any idea where we can train?"

Sasuke nodded and motioned to her. "You can train with me. I know a place."

Sakura followed him and soon, they were in a grove. Sasuke lead her to a clearing. "Here."

Sakura walked over to an upright log and practiced her kicking and punching. She halted when she felt Sasuke's hand on her shoulder. "Sakura…"

She turned around expectantly. "Nani?"

Sasuke sighed. "You're not doing it right."

Until evening, Sasuke helped Sakura correct her posture. Sasuke looked up. "It's getting late. The next time you want to train, find me. I'll help you."

Sakura blushed. "Arigato, Sasuke-kun!"

He merely grunted in reply and walked off with Sakura following him. Sakura changed into some comfortable clothing once she got home. Sakura had turned on the stove when Ino knocked on the door and yelled, "Sakura, we're going to a restaurant near the village, so don't cook!"

Sakura shouted back, "Sounds good!"

She turned off the stove and hurried to Sasuke's and Naruto's room. She knocked on Sasuke's door and informed him, "Sasuke-kun, all of us are going to dinner near the village. Are you coming?"

A pause, then Sasuke's muffled voice was heard. "Sure, I guess. Give me a second."

Sakura left his room and knocked on Naruto's door this time. She shouted, "Naruto, we're going to eat dinner near the village, and if you don't come out in two seconds, we're leaving you!"

Naruto tumbled out the door. He squeaked, "I'm coming, don't leave me!"

Sakura laughed and held out her hand to Naruto kindly. "I was just kidding, Naruto."

Sasuke walked up to them. "Let's go, dead last."

Naruto glared at him. Sakura followed him and spotted the others waiting in a group. Ino saw the last trio and started off. Naruto ran and caught up with them, leaving Sakura and Sasuke in the back, alone. Sakura turned her head to the sky dreamily. The sun was just setting, so everything was bathed in gold. Sasuke noticed Sakura and couldn't help but think, _She's very pretty…what? Did I just think that?_ Sakura noticed Sasuke staring at her and cocked her head. "Nani, Sasuke-kun?"

He shook his head and looked away, a light blush creeping across his face. Sakura directed her steps closer to him, and before Sasuke knew what had happened, Sakura was too close for comfort. Her shoulder barely touched his. "Nani, Sasuke-kun."

He stammered, "Nothing, just noticed how you…"

Sakura stared at Sasuke as he trailed off miserably. She shrugged lightly and suddenly stiffened. Sasuke questioned, "Sakura?"

She slapped her forehead repeatedly and groaned until Sasuke grabbed her wrists. "What are you doing, Sakura? Stop!"

Sakura didn't notice Sasuke's worried tone. She groaned, "I'm such an idiot! I totally forgot my purse! Now, I have to go back and get it!"

Sasuke checked his wallet. "I don't have enough for both of us here. I'll just buy you something, I'm really not that hungry."

Sakura looked appalled. "Oh no, Sasuke-kun, I'll just go back and get it right now. Maybe I'll make it back in time. Tell Ino for me, will you please?"

She turned the other way but was stopped when Sasuke grabbed her arm. "Sakura, I'll come with you."

She blushed and smiled at Sasuke. "Arigato, Sasuke-kun."

He nodded uncomfortably and walked beside her. They walked in silence. The house loomed up, and Sakura broke out in a jog. "I'll be really quick."

She dashed into the house, and five minutes later, she came out with a small wallet. She hurried to Sasuke and smiled. "There, let's go now."

Sakura snuck glances at him, admiring his handsome face. _I wish he would notice me…_Sakura suddenly asked, "Sasuke-kun…what am I to you?"

Her question threw Sasuke off guard. "Huh? Oh…um…"

Sakura tilted her head and squinted up at Sasuke. "Nani, Sasuke-kun?"

He looked away and said quietly, "Sakura…I can't tell you…But…you are more than a team mate to me."

She persisted, "Sasuke-kun, do I at least fall under friend?"

He looked at her hopeful face. "Yes."

Sakura seemed satisfied. _She doesn't know what she means to me…Should I tell her?_ Sasuke debated with himself and ended up deciding to wait. Suddenly, as the group loomed into view, Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm and blushed. "Sasuke-kun…"

She pecked the astonished Uchiha on the cheek and ran after the group, her face as red as a tomato. Sasuke paused for a moment, mouth hanging open with disbelief and a light blush crept over his face. Then, he quickly hurried up and caught up with the others. Sasuke entered the restaurant and sat between Sakura and Ino. Ino noticed Sasuke's blush and gushed, "Sasuke, isn't this restaurant fabulous?"

He muttered an incoherent response and ordered his dinner. Naruto asked Sakura, "Ano sa, ano sa, should I choose this or this?"

Sakura shrugged indifferently. Everyone ordered their meal, then chat flowed freely. Ino grabbed Sasuke's arm and squealed, "Who are you taking to the dance, cutie?"

Sakura gagged behind Ino's back, and Sasuke looked pissed. "I don't know."

Ino smiled. She hinted sweetly, "Well, I don't have a partner."

Sasuke replied monotonously, "That's probably because nobody wants to bring you!"

Ino looked hurt, then turned away from Sasuke stiffly. Sakura heard it and nudged Naruto. "Who are you bringing, Naruto?"

He gave Sakura his big foxy grin. "Well, I was thinking of bringing you, but I think you'd want to go with Sasuke, ne?"

Sakura blushed. "Sasuke-kun won't want to take me though, Naruto."

He scratched his head. "Well, do you-"

Suddenly, Sakura jumped up to avoid the cup of water that had fallen onto her chair. Water splashed everywhere, and had she not moved, her lap would have been soaked. Sasuke grabbed his napkin and apologized, "Gomen, Sakura, I didn't mean to spill it."

She assured him hastily that no harm had been done and mopped up the spilt liquid. She sat down gingerly again and noticed the odd look Naruto was giving Sasuke. Naruto noticed Sakura glancing at him and his skeptic look was replaced by a goofy smile. "Well, here comes our dinner!"  
The rest of the dinner passed uneventfully. Sasuke looked uncomfortable after Naruto had almost asked Sakura to the dance. _I need to ask her before Naruto or Lee does. But do I have the guts?_ After dinner, the gang trudged wearily back to the house and murmured sleepily good nights. Sakura paused while she was heading into her room. "Sasuke-kun…"

He stopped and glanced at her. "What?"

Sakura smiled sweetly. "Nothing."

Sasuke scowled and disappeared into his room. Sakura collapsed on her bed and fell asleep. Sasuke lay awake for fifteen minutes, then got up cautiously. He thought, _I just want to look at her face really quick._ He opened the door softly into Sakura's room and stared at her sleeping form. He treaded softly to her bed and sat down on his heels. He stroked her cheek tenderly, and she stirred softly, smiling. Sasuke smiled at her and cupped her cheek in his calloused hand. Sasuke leaned closer to her and pressed his lips against hers tentatively. Suddenly, Sasuke felt her arms wrap around his neck. _Damn it, is she awake?_ But she moaned softly, and Sasuke knew she was still asleep. He relaxed slightly and embraced Sakura gingerly. To get in a more comfortable position, he laid next to her and fell asleep instantly.

* * *

AN: Yeah, I know Tenten was a bit OOC...but you'll see why in the next chapter! And thanks for the idea of Lee meeting someone! I'll definitely add that in the fic. 


	4. Day 3: Tuesday

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

* * *

**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Day 3: Tuesday**

Sakura opened her eyes blearily to the sun shining relentlessly on her. She felt something warm next to her and turned her head slightly to see Sasuke sleeping next to her. _Hmm…Sasuke-kun…_She was about to go back to sleep contentedly when the realization of what she just saw struck her. Sakura tried to sit upright, but something restrained her. She looked down and saw Sasuke's arm across her chest. Sakura opened her mouth and was about to scream, but decided against it. _Sasuke-kun in my bed? What the hell happened last night?_ She cautiously pushed Sasuke's arm away and sat up. She looked down at Sasuke, admired him, then leaned near his ear. She whispered loudly, "Sasuke-kun! Wake up!"

He did groggily and noticed his surroundings. "What the…"

Suddenly, the events of last night flooded back and Sasuke cursed. "Oh shit."

Sakura prodded him in the chest. "Yeah, 'oh shit' what happened? Why are you in my room? On my bed next to me?"

Sasuke ruffled his hair. "You don't think I'm perverted right. Cuz that wasn't my intention."

Sakura giggled. Sasuke rolled his eyes and made up a lie quickly, "Well…erm…you seemed distressed…I guess. So, I checked on you…and I fell asleep?"

Sakura slid off her bed. "Well…thanks…"

She grabbed a change of clothes and hurried into the bathroom, perplexity written on her face. Sasuke slapped himself. _Nice going, Uchiha. That was the lamest excuse you've ever come up with._ Sasuke swung his legs off the bed and retreated into his room as well. He pulled on a black shirt and some navy pants. On the way out the door, he grabbed a gray jacket. Sakura walked out the bathroom and headed into the kitchen as Sasuke occupied the bathroom. She made some quick pancakes and placed them on the table. Sakura strode to Naruto's room, wiping her hands on the apron she was wearing. "Naruto…it would be nice if you would wake up without Sasuke-kun or me waking you up."

The door opened to reveal a disheveled Naruto. "Ehehe…Ohayo Sakura-chan!"

She winced then turned away. "Naruto…clean yourself up before breakfast…please."

Naruto blinked a few times but nodded. Sakura checked the pancakes and slipped out of the house unnoticed by her teammates. Sakura glanced up at the sky. _Looks like it'll rain later. _She walked along a trail near the cliff. It was a perfect view of the sea, and Sakura enjoyed morning walks. She found a rock and sat down, musing. _Sasuke-kun…I don't remember being distressed about anything. Hmm…_She was so lost in thought, she didn't hear Tenten walk up from behind. Sakura jumped visibly when Tenten asked her, "Sakura, have you seen that idiot, Lee? I didn't see him since yesterday, and I'm worried…"

Sakura regulated her breathing and replied, "No, I'm sorry Tenten, I didn't see him. Is that why you were so touchy yesterday?"

Tenten nodded. Sakura smiled. "He's probably in the village. I'll help you find him if you want."  
Tenten shook her head. "Thanks, but Neji already volunteered to help me."

She walked away distractedly. Sakura thought, _I hope they find him soon. I wonder what Lee is doing, though._ Tenten hurried back to the house and met Neji. "Let's go."

They both walked along the worn trail to the village. Neji noticed Tenten's distraught face and placed a hand on her shoulder. Tenten started, then smiled at Neji's rare act of kindness. Neji's face remained unchanged. "We'll find Lee soon enough."  
Tenten hugged Neji to his surprise. He struggled briefly but stopped when Tenten exclaimed, "I hope so, Neji!"

She released him and sauntered easily. A light blush crept across Neji's face. Soon, the village was in sight. Tenten turned to Neji expectantly. "So where should we start looking?"

Neji replied, "Well, let's ask around if they've seen Lee. After all, he isn't that hard to miss."  
Tenten giggled as an image of Lee with his hairstyle and clothing flashed in her mind. _The villagers wouldn't think he's crazy._ Tenten walked into a shop and described Lee to its owner. He replied, "Yeah, I saw him yesterday around noon…Weird thick eyebrows…"

Neji remained impassive while Tenten giggled at the owner's face. She thanked him, and until noon, they walked around, looking for Lee. Finally Tenten leaned on Neji's arm. "I'm exhausted, Neji. Let's get lunch, and then we'll return searching."

Neji looked down at her, surprised at their contact. He agreed and led her into a small shop. Tenten ordered a sandwich immediately, and Neji picked something out carelessly. Tenten sighed and propped her elbows on the table. She closed her hazel eyes momentarily. Neji stared at her face. _Tenten is kind of attractive…I guess…I mean, better than the others…At lease she practices hard._ Tenten's hair had managed to work its way out of the buns, and a few rebellious strands streamed down her face. Neji automatically lifted a hand up and brushed her hair away. Tenten's eyes popped open with surprise. _This is the great Hyuga Neji? I didn't know he would show his…feelings._ Tenten smiled at Neji, causing him to blush again. She snickered inwardly. _So the great Neji unravels…_Tenten broke the silence. "So um…what do you think Lee was up to?"

Neji leaned back, acting more like himself. "Well, let's review the information we've gathered."

Tenten made no comment, so Neji continued. "We figured out that around late morning yesterday, Lee stopped at a shop to buy some breakfast. The next time somebody saw him was late afternoon at the bookstore. Don't know what he did there."

Tenten took on from there, "Then, the bookstore owner said that she saw Lee talking to a girl?"

Neji nodded. "And the girl led him somewhere, and that's where we lost track."

Tenten winced and took a bite out of her sandwich. "Maybe the girl brought Lee to her home?"

Neji flinched as a few unpleasant thoughts drifted through his mind. _What if that girl murdered Lee? What is she…seduced him?_ Tenten was having the same thoughts, and she was blanching visibly. They both shook their heads simultaneously to get rid of the thoughts. Tenten threw away the remains of her sandwich. "Let's go to the place where that girl met Lee."

Neji agreed and in a moment, they were both there. Neji suggested, "Maybe we should just wait here?"

Tenten glanced around. "Gee, this street is pretty deserted…I wonder why?"

Suddenly, it began to rain. Lightly at first, but soon, it became a storm. Neji dragged Tenten under the roof of a nearby house and held her, peering out in the rain. They were both saturated, and Tenten was shivering. Neji realized he was hugging her and released her immediately. Tenten sneezed violently. Concern was in Neji's eyes as he asked, "Tenten, you okay? Maybe we should find an inn or something."

A passerby with an umbrella spotted the two teenagers. She walked up to them. She asked them, "Excuse me, are you two looking for Lee?"

Neji was immediately on his guard. He grabbed Tenten's hand and pulled her gently behind him. "Yes."

She smiled. "He is at my house…would you like to stay there as well? I won't charge you."

Tenten glanced up at Neji. He looked at Tenten, and she nodded. The passerby said, "I'm Sorai. Lee is at my house."

Neji followed Sorai, still holding Tenten's hand. Sorai informed the other two about Lee. "Yesterday, I met him while I was purchasing something, and he told me he was just visiting. I offered him to come to my house, and he gladly accepted. He stayed the night. Lee is very sweet, you two are lucky to have him as a friend."

Neji and Tenten exchanged glances. They both thought, _Lee? Sweet? Is she crazy? He's nice but…_Soon, they reached her house. Sorai handed them some garments and pointed to the bathroom. They both cleaned themselves up as best as they could one at a time, and then met Lee in Sorai's dining room. Tenten sighed with relief. She reprimanded him, "You should have told us where you were, Lee."

Lee smiled widely. "Gomen, Tenten and Neji! This charming lady let me stay here, and it was too late to go back when I realized what time it was!"

Tenten scowled. "Charming lady? What happened to Sakura?"

A troubled look flitted across Lee's face, but it was replaced by another of his grins. "Well, I want Sakura to be happy, so maybe I should leave her alone!"

Neji elbowed Tenten softly. "Translation: Lee found a girlfriend."

Tenten clapped a hand over her mouth. "Lee! Really? Sorai is your girlfriend?"

Lee turned red. He started stammering, "W-What are y-you talking about? Of c-course-"

Sorai appeared in the doorway, smiling. "Of course I am!"

Lee fell over in his chair, and Neji and Tenten blanched. Lee got up again, and Sorai beamed. Tenten muttered out of the side of her mouth, "At least Sorai isn't older than Lee."

Neji murmured back, "Yeah, only we're staying here for a while? So what will happen when we go back?"

Tenten winced. "Let's leave that problem to Lee."

Instead, Tenten pasted a smile on her face. "I'm glad to hear that! However, Lee, you have to come back soon, okay? You can visit Sorai all you want."

Lee smiled. "Okay! Now, let's have lunch, and we'll all go back."

Lunch passed without much incident. Sorai started looking uncomfortable after lunch and kept glancing at Lee. Tenten got the message, grabbed Neji by his arm, and dragged him out the door and into a garden even though it was raining. Neji asked, surprised, "What was that for?"

Tenten sat down on a bench under a tree, where the rain wasn't so hard. She leaned back and smiled. "Well, I could tell that Sorai wanted to be alone with Lee for a while, so I dragged you out here."

Neji leaned against the tree and nodded. Tenten sneezed from the rain, and Neji sat down next to her. Tenten glanced at Neji and wasn't surprised to see him staring off into space in another direction. Suddenly, he turned his head and stared at her. Tenten grew nervous and twitched. Neji pulled Tenten into his arms and hugged her. Tenten's heart was pounding. "N-Neji?"

He silenced her with a small kiss. Tenten tried to gasp but failed to. When they broke apart, Tenten was breathless, and Neji was…well, Neji was being Neji. He smiled. "Tenten, I admire you very much. You should know that by now."

Tenten looked away and blushed. Neji squeezed her then let her go. Lee appeared in the doorway. "Let's go!"

Neji walked calmly up to Lee. Lee glanced at Tenten. "Tenten, why are you so red?"

She muttered, "Nothing."

Lee disappeared, and the two were left alone again. Tenten rubbed her palms on her thighs. _I actually enjoyed that…_She shot Neji a glance, and said lightly, "Well, what do you want to do?"

Suddenly, Sorai and Lee appeared again. Sorai heard Tenten's question and suggested, "We could play a game if you want."

Tenten nodded. Neji scowled slightly. "It better be a good game."

Sorai smiled widely. "We'll play Mash. How about it?"

Tenten agreed immediately, but Neji took some persuading. Tenten looked at Neji with puppy-eyes. "Please, Neji, let's play!"

Neji stared at her and sighed. He muttered crossly, "Only for you, I'll play."  
Tenten kissed him on the cheek and squealed. Neji turned a crimson color and muttered incoherently. Sorai scribbled 'Mash' across the top and added columns. Tenten read it silently. _Wife, job, number of children. Yup!_ Sorai handed the pencil and paper to Tenten. She grinned wickedly at Neji. "Well, Neji?"

Neji looked surprised. "What?"

Tenten gestured at the paper, and Neji got the clue. He scowled. "First column…Tenten, Sakura, Ino, Sorai."

Tenten scribbled it down. She announced, "Job, Neji?"

He glared at the paper. "ANBU, Jounin, Medical Nin…uh…Hokage?"

Tenten giggled. "Children."  
Neji sighed. "Zero, one, two, three."  
Tenten ordered, "Tell me when to stop!"

She started drawing a spiral. Neji commanded, "Stop."

Tenten started counting. For a few minutes, it was quiet. Then, Tenten drew in a sharp intake of breath. She looked up. "Well, Neji…I'm your wife…"

She blushed here and continued, "You'll be an ANBU, and you'll have two children…and you live in a house."  
Neji grunted in reply and looked away, boredom evident in his face. Tenten glanced out the window. "Hey, it stopped raining!"  
Sorai nodded in agreement. Neji stood up. "Well, I'm going out to explore this village. Lee, I'll meet you here, and we'll leave for the houses."

Lee nodded, and Neji walked out purposefully. Tenten hesitated, then walked after Neji, waving Sorai and Lee good bye. She caught up to Neji and smiled. "Where are we going, Neji?"

He shrugged. "I don't know."

Tenten rolled her eyes and dragged him into a clothes shop. "Well, I want some new clothing, and you're helping me pick!"  
Neji resisted, but the weapons master glared at him. He submitted to her will and spent two hours of pure torture. Tenten had practically bought half the store, and Neji was staggering under the weight of the twelve bags of clothing she had bought. Tenten sighed happily. "Well, that wasn't so bad, right, Neji?"

She paid no attention to his muffled response, grabbed his arm, and dragged him into a small diner across the clothing store. Tenten sighed again and bought a cup of coffee. "Do you want anything, Neji?"

He shook his head, and Tenten drained the coffee. "Well, that was pretty fun. Tell you what, why don't you drop of my bags at Sorai's house, and we'll meet up again at the park?"

Neji agreed sullenly, and in fifteen minutes, he spotted Tenten sitting on an old, wooden swing. He admired her for a moment, then walked over. "Tenten."

She looked up and smiled. "When we get back home, we should train some."  
Neji agreed. Tenten fingered the handle of her kunai, then slid off the swing. "Well, we might as well head back now. Don't want the others waiting, right?"

The two made their way back to Sorai's house, fetched Lee, and bid Sorai good bye. Lee sighed dreamily. "Ah, Sorai is truly an opal amongst gems!"

Tenten muttered, "Right."  
Neji wasn't too keen on listening to Lee's romantic chatter all the way back to the houses, so he threatened Lee, "If you don't shut up…I'll beat the crap out of you!"

Instead of having the desired effect, it actually had the opposite. Lee drew himself up and declared, "Ah, my eternal rival has challenged me to a fight! Until then, Hyuga Neji!"

Neji and Tenten stared after him in disbelief. He had marched straight off, eyes closed when- "Lee, you're going to-"

WHAM! Tenten sighed, "-walk into the tree."  
Neji snickered as they passed Lee. He unstuck himself and rushed after them, informing them, "No harm done!"

Soon the houses were in sight, and Sakura came running up to them. "Oh, Tenten, Neji, you found Lee!"

Lee flashed his trademark smile. "Ah, the wonderful Sakura has expressed concern for my welfare! However, Sakura, my heart belongs to someone else!"

Sakura looked confused until Tenten murmured, "Translation: Lee has a girlfriend by the name of Sorai form the village."

Sakura cried out, "Oh, Lee, I'm so glad for you!"

Lee beamed and the four trooped down to the houses. Neji, Tenten, and Lee bid good bye to Sakura, and they all separated into their houses. Tenten flopped onto her bed, sighing happily. _It's been a great day…especially when Neji kissed me…_Tenten giggled and turned on her side. Neji walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. He pointed out, "Dinner time, you know."

Tenten opened her mouth to say something, but Lee's shout interrupted them. "Ah, Tenten, and eternal rival, Sakura invited us for dinner!"  
Tenten's eyes lit up with an idea. She hollered back, "You go ahead, Lee, but I'll cook for Neji and me."

Neji raised his eyebrows. Tenten smiled and hopped off the bed. She cooked a quick dinner, and the two ate in silence. Neji offered, "Tenten…want to go out for a walk?"

Tenten agreed happily and left a note for Lee. She grabbed her jacket, and the two chose a trail that led into a grove. In the middle of it, Neji turned to Tenten. He stumbled over the words, "Tenten, will you, I mean, do you mind if…um…do you…want to go with the dance with me?"

Tenten squealed. "Really?"

Neji nodded, dumbfound. Tenten grabbed his hands and danced around him, her glee infectious. Neji started laughing along with Tenten and drew her into a hug. Tenten threw her arms around Neji and laughed. He merely smiled and kissed her again. Tenten, full of joy, returned his kiss passionately. _I can't wait until I tell Sakura! Neji asked me to the dance!_ Neji broke the kiss after a while and tugged Tenten's hand. "I think we should be getting back now."

Tenten agreed happily, and the two sauntered back hand-in-hand, enjoying each other's company. As they neared the house, Lee was already inside. He smiled at Neji and Tenten. "I see my rival has made love to Tenten- yowch!"

Tenten had whacked him on the head with her fist and marched past him, nose in the air. Lee rubbed his head mournfully. Neji smirked as he passed Lee and retreated into his room. The three fell asleep without much incident, not thinking about the next day.

* * *

AN: That didn't turn out well, with the NejiTenten and slight LeeOC. I'm working on LeeOC…that one is a bit tricky. Umm...I would like to stick to my original pairings of the story...but I guess I could add a little bit of HinataKiba in it for Link and Luigi! 


	5. Day 4: Wednesday

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

* * *

**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Day 4: Wednesday**

Sakura woke up groggily to see something obscure her vision…something that resembled a monster with a face of coal black eyes, pale skin, and black hair…Sakura screamed, "Aah!"

She sat up and her head collided with the object. 'It' yelled aloud with pain. "Ouch, Sakura, what's your problem!"

Sakura recognized Sasuke's voice and apologized. "Oh, gomen, Sasuke-kun! You scared me! What are you doing here?"

Sakura checked the clock. _Six? What is he doing in my room at six?_ Sasuke started stammering, "Uh, I was, um, checking on you?"

Sakura squinted up at him. "Checking on me? Why?"

Sasuke scratched his head. "Umm…you seemed distressed…?"

Sakura thought, _Weird…he's been checking on me a lot, and he always says I'm distressed whenever I catch him 'checking on me'.._ She asked, "I was? What, did I say something in my sleep?"

Sasuke was caught off guard. _What? She wasn't supposed to ask that! And I can't tell her the truth!_ He started stumbling over his words, "Erm…yeah…something about…uh…your sister back home?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "I was talking about…my sister?"

Sasuke nodded hastily. "Yeah, saying how you were worried about her and stuff."

Sasuke started sweating. _Please buy it, please buy it…_Sakura's mouth thinned. Sasuke gulped silently. _That is not a good sign. _She began wryly, "Sasuke-kun…I don't have a sister."

Sasuke blanched. _Oh…shit…_He stammered, "R-Really? Well, y-you were t-talking about a s-sister…"

Sakura sat up and glared at Sasuke. "What were you really doing in my room?"

Sasuke barely heard her question. He was busy staring at Sakura. She was wearing a tank-top and one of the straps had slipped off her shoulder. _God, she looks sexy…Ack! No! I didn't think that!_ Sasuke clenched his hands to stop them from straying onto Sakura. "Nothing! Just checking you out. No! I meant I was just checking on you!"

Sakura slid off the bed very quickly, almost panicky. "Uh, right! When the real Sasuke-kun gets back, let me know!"

She dashed into the bathroom as if a pack of wolves were chasing her. Sasuke watched her leave. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. _Great…well…Phew…that was close…I'll have to be more careful next time. Good thing she didn't wake up when I kissed her!_ Sasuke smirked. _I wonder how she'd react if she wakes up during the night when I'm with her. Weird though, because when she's asleep, and I'm with her, she's content, according to the words coming out of her mouth. _When Sakura walked through the door or her room and saw Sasuke sitting on her bed with vacant eyes and smirking like an idiot, she tilted her head in confusion. _Is it just me, or is Sasuke-kun getting more and more weird everyday?_ She cleared her throat, "Um…Sasuke-kun?"

He snapped out of his thoughts. "Oh, hi. Sorry, I'll be going now."

He hurried out of the room, regaining his composure. Sakura shook her head. "That wasn't Naruto in Sasuke-form, right?"

She shrugged and headed out her room into the kitchen. She made some quick pancakes and yelled, "Naruto, Sasuke-kun! Time to eat!"

Naruto sped out his room and wolfed down the pancakes. Sasuke merely sauntered out as usual and sat down. Sakura eyed him warily, wondering why he had acted weird in the morning. Sakura shook her head and smiled brightly. "Eat up! We're going to Ino's house today!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. He said icily, "I don't need another fangirl."

Sakura stared coolly back at Sasuke. _God! He was acting so weird this morning, too!_ A knock on the door interrupted their staring contest. Sakura opened it and smiled at Chouji. "Hi, Chouji!"

Chouji waved at Sakura. "Ino says to hurry up…"

Sakura nodded. "We just finished with breakfast. Let's go now!"

Her voice was firm and steely, and the two boys obeyed, one quickly, the other reluctantly. Soon, everyone except Neji, Tenten, and Lee were at Ino's house. She smiled widely. "Well, let's play seven minutes in heaven!"

There were groans, but everyone knew how fierce Ino could be. Ino smiled sweetly, "But instead of kissing in a closet for seven minutes, the two lucky ducks will just stay in a closet for seven minutes instead!"

Sakura looked horrified, Sasuke looked pissed off, Naruto looked clueless, and the others were groaning. Nobody backed down because they didn't want to be called a coward. Everyone wrote their names and put the papers into two separate baskets. Ino drew two names and snickered. "Naruto and Hinata. Into the closet, both of you!"

Hinata paled and Naruto gulped. He stuttered, "Is this really…"

One glare from Ino, and he stumbled into the closet. Hinata followed timidly, face red as a tomato. All was quiet for a moment, then, "Owch, Naruto, t-that was m-my eye y-you poked…"

"Whoops! Sorry, Hinata-chan, but you hit me in the stomach, and my hands flew out I guess."

"Naruto! You're on m-my foot n-now!"

"Gomen! Gosh, it's dark in here…Oh man! Did I just elbow you, Hinata?"

"Owww…Naruto…p-please be m-more careful! Naruto! You just stepped on my other foot!"

"Ehehe…I can't see, Hinata!"

After the seven minutes, Ino laughed, "You two can come out now…"

The two fell out of the closet, and Hinata had bruises on her feet, arms, and face. Everyone was howling with laughter except for Sasuke. He was just smirking, like usual. Ino drew the next two papers and screeched. Shikamaru glanced at them and sighed. "How troublesome…me and Ino in a closet?"

Everyone grinned. Except Sasuke again. Ino grabbed Shikamaru by the ear and practically hauled him into the closet. All was silent, then they could hear Shikamaru. "Ino…why are you pushing me against this side of the closet? It's really uncomfortable, you know?"

Ino sounded mad. "What do you think, you moron? I don't want you anywhere near me!"

Shikamaru's voice sounded muffled, as if he was pushed against the wall. "Well, it hurts. Could you at least give me some space? Or don't use your foot to push me. You're stepping on my back."  
Sakura giggled and seven minutes flew by. Ino stormed out of the closet, and Shikamaru's face seemed kind of flat. Ino snatched out the next two pieces of paper. She snickered. "Shino…and Hinata."

Hinata gulped, and Shino remained expressionless. He walked into the closet, and Hinata followed. The first three minutes, everyone was silent. Then, Naruto asked, "You don't think Shino let his bugs loose on Hinata, do you?"

Sasuke sighed. "No, you dobe, he would not have done that."  
Naruto looked relieved. "Okay…just making sure…"

The rest of the time, it was still quiet. Shino walked out of the closet as if nothing had happened, and Hinata looked shaken. She was whimpering, "B-Bugs…E-everywhere…Ugh!"

Ino shook her head and drew the next two…and screamed. Really loudly. Loud enough to shatter all the windows in the house. Everyone covered their ears and scrunched up their faces because of the noise. Soon, they were able to make out words in Ino's screams. "Nani? This must be a fluke! How come Sakura gets go be with Sasuke? Why wasn't it me?"

Sasuke had his eyes shut tightly, and he didn't notice the murderous glances shot at him from Ino. Shikamaru yelled, "Ino! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

She obeyed reluctantly, and Shikamaru asked, "So why did you scream?"

Ino screeched, "Sasuke and Sakura in the closet for seven minutes! Why do you think I screamed?"

Sasuke closed his eyes and thought, _I will not kill Ino…I will not resort to violence just because some stupid annoying fangirl shattered my eardrums…I'm calm…composure…regain my composure…_Sasuke grounded his teeth together, and Sakura heard it. She winced, then gulped as she remembered Sasuke in the morning. _He won't…he won't do anything to me in the closet…right?_ She scolded herself. _Like he would want anything to do with you!_ She stood up and followed Sasuke into the closet. Shikamaru had to restrain Ino from going after them. Sakura slipped into the closet. She laughed nervously. "Wow…sure is crowded in here, huh?"

Sasuke nodded uncomfortably and shut the closet door hesitantly. Sakura gulped and broke out sweating. _I should be happy…Why do I feel nervous?_ She could feel Sasuke pressed up against her. She growled, "It's not that crowded in here…scoot over."

Sasuke tried but tripped on something inside. Sakura heard him curse, and then all of the sudden, he had pinned her against the closet wall. Sakura's eyes popped open as she felt Sasuke's lips pressed against hers. Sasuke broke away, panting, "Gomen! I tripped."

Sakura touched her lips. She was glad it was dark because she was blushing heavily. "O-Oh…"

Sakura was acutely aware that there was so little space in the closet, that she was pushed against Sasuke. Uncomfortable, Sakura tried moving away, but encountered the wall behind her. "Argh…"

Sasuke spun around and faced her. "Want me to move over?"

Sakura nodded meekly and suddenly her knees felt wobbly. She flung out her arms to support herself, and she felt her arms collide with Sasuke's solid frame. The closet started spinning, and Sakura cried out. She faintly made out Sasuke hugging her, and his voice echoed in her head. "Sakura…okay…fell…Sakura…Sakura!"

Then, Sakura blacked out. She awoke hours later and the first thing she saw was Sasuke. She blinked a few times and swore silently that she saw concern in Sasuke's eyes. However, after focusing her sight, the concern was gone, and Sasuke was Sasuke again. He said emotionlessly, "You fainted in the closet. I guess there wasn't enough air in there."

The slightest of smirks was evident on Sasuke's face. Sakura pushed him away and clutched her head. "Oh man…I feel terrible…my head hurts…"

Sasuke sat on the bed next to Sakura. "Sakura…"

She turned towards him, surprised to hear hesitance in his voice. "Nani, Sasuke-kun?"

He bit his lip. "Um…will you…uh…do you…doyouwanttogotothedancewithme?"

Sakura blinked in confusion. The last part had come out in a jumble of words, and she didn't understand. "Sasuke-kun…will you talk a little slower? I didn't quite catch what you said."

Sasuke took a breath. "Do you want to go to the dance with me? Don't get it wrong, but you're my teammate and all, and if I chose someone else, then the others will get the wrong idea."

Sakura squealed and flung her arms around Sasuke's neck. "Of course, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke was paralyzed with shock until Sakura kissed him on the cheek. That motivated him into action. Sasuke pried Sakura's arms off his neck. "Don't get the wrong idea. I don't like you. Not at all. I just need someone to go to the dance with otherwise everyone will laugh at me."

Sakura nodded vaguely. Sasuke had the impression she wasn't really listening to him. He leaned forward and said loudly and slowly, "I…don't…like…you…!"

_Actually, I do, but hey, that's a sign of weakness._ Sakura nodded. "I know, I know."

Sakura slid off the bed, then stopped. "What happened, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke stretched and lay on Sakura's bed. "Nothing much…you passed out, I carried you back here. They're all at Ino's house, still playing truth or dare."

Sakura got back on the bed and sat next to Sasuke, staring into his face. _Ne…he's so handsome…small wonder why I fell in love with him…do I still love him, though?_ Sasuke stared back up at her. _She's pretty…why didn't I realize it before? Does she still love me? Should I accept her?_ The two continued to stare at each other, and then Sasuke slowly sat up, not breaking eye contact. He leaned forward until he could feel Sakura's breath. Sakura's eyes were wide, and she was trembling slightly. Sasuke smirked, then wiped a piece of hair away from Sakura's face. "You wish."

He flopped back onto the bed, thinking, _Sasuke, you baka! That was a perfect chance!_ He sighed then rolled off the bed. Sakura watched him leave with a hint of longing. When he disappeared from view, she fell backwards onto the bed. _That baka! Stop teasing me, Sasuke-kun!_ She turned over and stared into the sunset. It bathed everything in orange, and she sighed blissfully. Suddenly, she saw Naruto outside her window, waving frantically. She grabbed a jacket and slipped out the house. "Nani, Naruto?"

He grinned his stupid grin. "Ano sa, Sakura-chan, wanna walk to the beach with me?"

Sakura smiled. "Okay."

The two strolled to the beach leisurely. Naruto turned around and faced Sakura seriously. "Sakura-chan…you need to give up on Sasuke. He has no room in his cold heart for you."

Sakura was taken aback by this seriousness in Naruto's voice. She stammered, "Naruto…I d-don't love Sasuke-kun anymore…"

Naruto shook his head. "You still do. It's obvious."

Sakura sighed and twirled her hair around her finger. "Well…Sasuke-kun is so…handsome. And strong. And-"

Naruto cut her off. "Exactly. But he doesn't love you."

Sakura bit her lip as all the painful memories of Sasuke rejecting her flooded back. She sighed. Naruto sighed as well. "Well…whatever…you decide what's best for you. By the way, do you want to go to the dance with me?"

Sakura smiled sadly. "Gomen, Naruto, but I already agreed to Sasuke-kun…"

Naruto looked shocked. He shouted, "He asked you? He'll only hurt you, Sakura. He can't give you the love you're looking for."

Sakura shouted back, "I don't care! He's enough for me! You don't know anything, Naruto!"

Naruto stiffened. "Fine! But don't come crying to me when Sasuke breaks your heart!"

He stormed away, leaving a tearful Sakura on the beach. Tears streamed silently down her face, and her hair was being blown everywhere by the wind. She heard somebody walking down to the cove, but couldn't see through the curtain of pink hair in her vision. Sakura gathered her white, knee-length skirt and stumbled away from the sound. "Sakura!"

She stopped, recognizing Sasuke's voice. Sakura hesitated, then ran again. The wind was strong, and her own hair blinded her. Sakura ran blindly, her only goal to get as far away from Sasuke. Suddenly, Sakura realized she was running on slippery rocks near the ocean. She heard Sasuke shout, "Sakura, come back! You're on the tide pool rocks! If the tide comes in, you'll get swept to sea!"

Sakura was barely listening. She was concentrating on the wave that was looming up to her, threatening to swallow her. Her eyes were fixed on it when something collided into her back. Sakura yelled, but swallowed a mouthful of water. _Sasuke-kun! Naruto! Help me!_ Bubbles escaped her mouth, and suddenly, her head was thrust free of the water. She took a quick gulp of air and struck out towards the shore. _Gotta move fast…another wave, and I'll be gone for sure. I wonder who saved me?_ Her feet hit the sandy bottom, and she dragged her feet onto the sand. Sakura collapsed with exhaustion. She looked up at the sky, breathing heavily. Suddenly, Sakura could hear panting coming from the sea. She struggled up and saw a sodden Sasuke walk out from the sea. He snapped, "You could have died, baka!"

Sakura was stung, but she defended, "Whatever! It's not like you'd care!"

She was surprised when Sasuke grabbed her shoulders and shook her like a rag doll. He shouted in her face, "Don't do that again! You had me scared! Don't be so stupid, Sakura!"

A single tear streamed down Sakura's face. '_You had me scared!' Sasuke was scared for me…_Sakura whispered, "Gomen…I won't do it again."

Sasuke stopped shaking her and hugged her tightly. "I…never want…to see someone important…to me…die…again…"

Sakura was stunned. _I'm important to him…important…to Sasuke-kun…_Sakura whispered into Sasuke's ear, "Gomen…"

After a few minutes, Sasuke let go of Sakura. Sakura got up and followed him into the house wordlessly. She took a quick shower and slipped into her room. Sakura lay down on her bed, looking at the dark ceiling. Suddenly, Sasuke entered the room. Sakura glanced at him, and resumed staring at the roof. She felt Sasuke's hand on top of her forehead. Sakura heard, "Sakura…you have a fever…"

She coughed. "No, I'm fine. Go to sleep."

Sasuke sat on the edge of the bed. "No. I'll stay here and watch you while you sleep. Who knows what could happen to you at night."

Sakura turned away from Sasuke, a light blush creeping across her features. From time to time, she felt Sasuke's hand on her forehead, and she finally sighed, "Sasuke-kun…I can't sleep if you keep touching me."

Sasuke stopped, and Sakura finally fell asleep. Sasuke continued watching her. She seemed so innocent and peaceful…_That's because she is. I was worried. So worried._ He checked her temperature one more time and left the room, making sure to close the door softly. He turned around and faced Naruto. The blonde boy was angry. "You should stop playing with her. I know you love her. So why don't you tell her?"

Sasuke replied coldly, "I don't love her. She's annoying."

Naruto smirked. "So that's why you were so damn worried about her."

Sasuke snarled, "She's a teammate. Wouldn't you be worried about a teammate in danger?"

Naruto snapped, "Sakura is an angel from heaven, and you're a demon from hell! You'll break her heart!"

Sasuke smirked coldly. "Whatever. Like I care."

He pushed past Naruto into his room and lay on his bed. _Sakura…_He rolled over and finally fell asleep.

* * *

AN: Hehe, OOC Sasuke throughout this chapter…oh well, make up an excuse as to why he's so OOC or something. Anyway, sorry for the late updates, but I'm back in school, and homework is starting up. Sorry! Oh yeah, and I don't know whether to pair Hinata with Naruto or Kiba...so if you review, be sure to say which pair you want! 


	6. Day 5: Thursday

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

* * *

**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Day 5: Thursday**

Sakura woke up and groaned. Her head was pounding, and her throat hurt. _Ow…what the hell…_Sakura sat up and bit her lip from crying out as the pounding in her head multiplied. Sasuke suddenly walked into the room, holding a steaming mug of water. "Sakura…you have a fever."

Sakura held her head. She muttered thickly, "I can tell…"

Sasuke gave the water to her. "Drink it. You'll feel better."

Sakura stared at him curiously. _Sasuke-kun…taking care of me?_ Sakura nodded and sipped the water. She rasped, "What time is it?"

Sasuke replied monotonously, "Around eight."

Sakura nodded and settled back into the pillows. She closed her eyes and was soon fast asleep. Sasuke smirked at her and kissed her forehead. He exited the room, shutting the door quietly. Suddenly, somebody knocked on the door. Sasuke opened it and grimaced as he saw Ino. She squealed, "Hey, cutie! Want to go to the dance with me?"

Sasuke smirked. "I already asked Sakura. Too bad for you. Now, leave."

He closed the door in her face, leaving her stunned there. _Sasuke…you asked…the forehead monster?_ She stumbled back to her house, numb. Ino burst into her room and realized she was crying. Ino yelled aloud, "What did I do to deserve this? Why did he choose Sakura? Sakura was always following in my shadow! So what makes her more special than me?"

Ino sobbed bitterly, face-down on her bed. She didn't notice Shikamaru until he spoke. "Huh…how troublesome…so you're just going to lay there and cry?"

Ino yelled at Shikamaru, not facing him. "You don't know what I'm going through! When somebody you've loved your whole life chooses someone else over you, the pain is unbearable!"

Shikamaru's mouth twisted grimly. "You're wrong. I know exactly what you're going through. A girl I love doesn't notice me at all. All she has eyes for is another guy, a guy who'll never love her back. But she's blind to that, and she's blind to the care I've given to her as well."

Ino faced him, tear-stained. "Who…who is this girl?"

Shikamaru shrugged. "It'll be too troublesome to tell you. Besides, if I tell you, it might ruin all the chances of me winning her over one day."

Ino grabbed the front of his shirt and demanded, "Tell me, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru tried wriggling from her grasp. "Sheesh! Why do you want to know so badly, anyway? It's you, okay? How troublesome…"

A tear streamed down Ino's face. "M-Me…Blind to you…chasing after Sasuke who would never love me back…"

Suddenly, Ino hugged Shikamaru, tears streaming down her face. "Shikamaru…I've been so blind…thank you for opening my eyes…thank you…"

Shikamaru looked uncomfortable. He muttered, "How troublesome…"

Ino backed off and glared at him. "Nara Shikamaru, what did you say?"

Shikamaru gulped. He knew that tone of voice. "Nothing…nothing at all…"

Ino smiled sweetly at him. "That's what I thought."

Shikamaru sighed and got up. He walked to the door, turned around, and asked, "Oh…yeah…Do you want to be my partner to the dance?"

Ino smiled a true smile. "Of course."

Shikamaru left the room, muttering, "Women…troublesome…"

Ino smiled happily. She walked into the bathroom and cleaned up her face. She hummed slightly. _I shouldn't have chased Sasuke…Shikamaru was my childhood friend, but I was so blind to the kindness he was able to supply, but not Sasuke. Shikamaru…you truly are a genius._ She mopped up a face and decided to take a walk. _What better time to ask my new boyfriend out for a walk?_ Ino found Shikamaru in the kitchen, sipping a cup of coffee. Ino hated coffee and glared at Shikamaru. "Wanna die?"

Shikamaru blinked. "Huh?"

Ino snapped, "Keep drinking coffee…you'll die young."  
Shikamaru glanced warily at Ino. "Fine…"

He dumped the coffee down the drain and followed Ino's command out the door. Ino linked arms triumphantly, and for a while, they walked in silence. Ino suggested, "Let's go to the village."

Shikamaru agreed reluctantly, knowing he wouldn't have a choice anyway. They reached a small café, and Ino sat down at a table near the window. She ordered a sundae, and Shikamaru had nothing. Ino glanced at the sidewalk and noticed a crack. She kicked Shikamaru under the table and commanded, "Let's play a game. If someone steps over that crack with their left foot, I get to slap you. If somebody steps over it with their right, you can slap me."

Shikamaru groaned but agreed quickly when Ino glared at him. They watched intently…slap! Ino grinned triumphantly at Shikamaru's red cheek. "That was a left."

Shikamaru glared at the crack. Somebody stepped over it with their right foot, so Shikamaru grinned at Ino in turn. Ino scrunched up her face, but Shikamaru only patted her cheek. Ino grinned at him. Suddenly, a parade came through. Shikamaru's eyes widened with horror as twenty people walked over the crack with their left foot. The café rang with Shikamaru's cries when Ino slapped him heavily but gleefully. Ino leaned back in her chair and smiled at Shikamaru's swollen face. She said sweetly, "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it, Shika-chan?"

Shikamaru muttered, "That's because you weren't the one who got slapped so much…"

Ino scowled, "Nara Shikamaru, what did you say?"

He replied, "Nothing…nothing at all…"

Ino's scowl turned into a malicious smile. "I thought so. Now, let's go buy some clothes!"

Shikamaru gritted his teeth to refrain from sobbing aloud. _What did I do to deserve this…_For the next two hours, Ino purchased six bags of clothes and accessories. She smiled sweetly at Shikamaru. "That was fun, Shikamaru! We should do it again, sometime!"

Shikamaru's muffled voice was barely heard by Ino. He was carrying all the bags. Ino was decked out in a new outfit, and she twirled gleefully. "Shikamaru, let's go home now."

He nodded, and the pair headed back. Halfway to the houses, Ino complained, "These high-heels hurt my feet."

Shikamaru replied, "You shouldn't have bought them, then."  
Ino whined, "But they were the newest fashion! I absolutely have to show them to Sakura!"

Shikamaru sighed. "What good are shoes if they aren't comfortable? What am I supposed to do, carry you back?"

Ino replied, "No, no, you're carrying my bags."

Shikamaru shrugged. "Then I can't do anything."  
Ino smiled wickedly. "However…you could switch shoes with me!"

Shikamaru's eyes widened with horror. "Ino, excuse me? Switch shoes? You're wearing high-heels! Men don't wear high-heels!"

Ino glared at Shikamaru. "You're so heartless…I command you to switch with me!"

Shikamaru protested, "What will Sasuke, Neji, and the other guys say?"

Ino gave Shikamaru her puppy eyes. "Don't you care more for me, than what they think? Please, Shikamaru, I can't walk in these!"

Shikamaru made the mistake of looking at her puppy face. He relented, muttering, "I'm going to regret this…"

They stopped while Ino slipped on Shikamaru's sandals, and Shikamaru put on Ino's high-heels built for women's feet. He groaned, "Ah, I can't walk! How am I supposed to- Hey! Ino, come back here!"

Ino had dashed off, giggling madly. "Catch me if you can, Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru yelled sternly, "Yamanaka Ino, get back here this instant!"

Ino merely spun around and walked backwards. Shikamaru gave a groan of frustration and shuffled towards Ino quickly. He couldn't run in high-heels. He would merely break his neck. Ino ran all the way back to their houses, and when Shikamaru arrived, attempting to run in pink high-heels and carrying eight bags of clothing, the residents of the houses could do nothing but stare. Sasuke was allowing Sakura to lean on him weakly. He scoffed, "Shikamaru, are you trying to turn into a woman?"  
Sakura gawked, as did Tenten and Hinata. Neji shook his head. "Shikamaru…I used to hold you in high respect…"

Neji stressed the past tense verb and lead Tenten away from the scene. Sasuke glanced one more time at Shikamaru before heading back into the house with Sakura. Naruto commented, "Say, Shikamaru…I think you look better without high-heels."

He snickered and walked away. Hinata followed him timidly. Shikamaru sighed and took off the high-heels. He walked barefooted back to the house, ignoring the stinging plants underfoot. Ino was already in the house. She looked extremely guilty. Ino immediately stood up and hugged Shikamaru. "Gomen, Shikamaru…I didn't mean to embarrass you…"

Shikamaru set down the bags. "It's nothing…"

He headed into his room and lay on his bed. _What a fool I've made of myself._ He stared out the window at the clouds, and he soon fell asleep. Hinata passed by Shikamaru's window and couldn't help but smile slightly at the sleeping genius. She turned her attention to Naruto again. Hinata wanted to talk to him, just a little, to know him better. Naruto practically skipped down the steps into the cove. Hinata thought, _He really likes that cove, huh?_ She followed him but slipped on a plant she didn't see. Hinata cried out, "Naruto-kun!"

She was about to fall, but Naruto grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Naruto hugged Hinata. She was trembling violently. _That fall must have scared her._ When her trembling subsided, Naruto released her. He asked, "You okay, Hinata-chan?"

Hinata blushed and nodded. Naruto took her hand. "Come on. I won't let you fall!"

Hinata's blush grew even heavier and followed Naruto down into the cove. Naruto sat down on a rock. "This is my most favorite place on this whole island, Hinata-chan! I can just sit and stare at the waves!"

Hinata stammered, "It's a v-very beautiful

place."  
Naruto grinned his foxy grin. "You can come down with me, if you want, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata looked away, her face a deep shade of red. "A-Arigato, Naruto-kun. I would e-enjoy it…"

Naruto patted a space on the rock next to him. "Sit down!"

Hinata sat down, lacing her fingers together nervously. Naruto smiled at her. "Ano sa, Hinata-chan, do you want to go eat dinner in the village? My treat! And no ramen!"

Hinata brightened up. "R-Really, Naruto-kun?"

He nodded. Hinata smiled widely. "O-Okay! Let m-me go g-get my w-wallet!"

She hurried away and disappeared up the steps. Naruto's smile grew wider. _She really is actually pretty nice. I should get to know her more._ Naruto headed back and changed into clean clothes. He grabbed his wallet and was about to head back, but he remembered that he needed a key to the house. Rather than looking around, Naruto walked into Sakura's room to find Sasuke caring for a feverish-looking Sakura. He asked, "Is she okay?"

Sasuke replied coolly, "Of course, dobe. What do you want?"

Naruto said, "I need a key to the house. Where are they?"

Sasuke smirked, "There should be one on the hook next to the door, baka."

Naruto fumed, but he grabbed the key and left quickly without shooting a retort at the Uchiha. Naruto wrapped his jacket more tightly around himself. _It sure is cold…_Naruto knocked on the door to Hinata's house. Kiba answered it, looking confused. "What are you doing, Naruto?"

Naruto answered proudly, "I'm bringing Hinata out for dinner!"

Kiba grew angry. "Nani? Did Hinata agree?"

Hinata appeared next to Kiba. "Of c-course, Kiba…Can y-you move? I c-can't get out…"

Kiba moved grudgingly. Naruto held out his arm gallantly to Hinata, and she linked her arm through, blushing slightly. Naruto led Hinata into the village and let her pick out a restaurant. Naruto sat down and grinned. "Wow, Hinata-chan, a nice restaurant, isn't it?"

Hinata was looking around. She agreed absent-mindedly and asked, "Isn't t-that Lee-kun over t-there, with t-that girl?"

Naruto craned his head around. "Why, so it is! Should we go over and say 'hi'?"

Hinata shook her head. "No…"

Naruto nodded, knowing that Hinata knew best. They continued to watch Lee curiously, and to their surprise, the girl hugged Lee, and he didn't pull away. Hinata quickly looked back to their table, not wanting to be caught staring. Naruto said mischievously, "Looks like Lee has given up on Sakura…heh…"

Hinata agreed, wishing wistfully that Naruto would have the same feelings Lee had for the girl. Naruto picked up his chopsticks as the food arrived, and the two ate, chatting amiably. When they finished, Naruto paid for the bill, and they left. Hinata stuttered, "Thanks f-for the d-dinner, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled warmly at her. "You know what, Hinata-chan, I've never really notice you before. You were always so quiet and shy."

Hinata's face fell as Naruto paused. "But I would like to know more about you. I bet we could become great friends."

Hinata asked hopefully, "R-Really, Naruto-kun?"  
Naruto nodded. He declared, "And if I ever decide to give up on Sakura-chan, I know I'll always have a close friend!"

Hinata didn't know whether to be disappointed or happy at this. _A little bit of both,_ she decided. Hinata smiled. "Arigato, N-Naruto-kun…"

He nodded, and they separated into each of their own houses. Naruto let himself in the house to find Sasuke eating dinner quietly. Naruto asked, "Is Sakura better?"

Sasuke nodded. Naruto wrinkled his nose at the rice balls on the table. "How unappetizing…"

Sasuke glared at Naruto and stood up. "Who asked you for your opinion?"

He left the kitchen and headed into Sakura's room. Naruto followed him, curious about Sakura's condition. He saw Sakura lying on the bed, sleeping quietly. Naruto glanced at Sasuke and was surprised to see concern and…love? in Sasuke's eyes. Naruto nodded to Sakura but directed his words to Sasuke. "I see you've been taking care of her?"

Sasuke nodded. Naruto smiled. "Well, well, the great Uchiha is opening up. This must be the greatest event in history."

Naruto fled the room before Sasuke could kick him out. Since it was too early to go to sleep, Naruto took a walk along the beach and bumped into Lee. Naruto said happily, "Hi, Lee!"

Lee nodded back, preoccupied with something. Naruto asked without thinking, "Who was that girl you were eating dinner with?"

Lee's head snapped up. "How do you know? Were you stalking us?"

Naruto held up both hands. "No way! I was just taking Hinata–chan out for dinner, and we saw you two."

Lee relaxed. "She's…a girl I met in the village a few days ago."

Naruto probed, "Is she you're girlfriend?"

Lee nodded. Naruto exclaimed, "Does that mean you've given up on Sakura-chan?"

Lee flinched visibly. He said slowly, "No…I have not…but…have you noticed Sasuke? He has feelings for her now. Those two would be happier together than with anyone else."

Naruto's face fell sadly. "Does that mean I don't have a chance with her?"

Lee nodded again. "With Sasuke, Sakura will be forever happy. However, Naruto, you should give up on Sakura. Hinata is better for you."

He had added the afterthought slyly. Lee was not stupid. He had noticed Hinata's feelings for Naruto and was convinced that if he pushed Naruto in the right direction a little, he would finally understand. Naruto asked, "Do you think I would be happier with Hinata?"

Lee nodded. Naruto continued, "Because she seems like a nice person…and she's always there for me…"

Lee kept nodding. "You should give up on Sakura and go for Hinata. She would never turn you down or hurt you."

Naruto brightened up. "Yeah…Hinata's pretty nice, ne?"

Lee smiled. "Well, Naruto, I am glad that I have been able to help you out. Now, I want to sleep."

Naruto waved good-bye to Lee. "Thanks for your advice! Night, Lee!"

Lee left, leaving Naruto to brood alone. _I should let Sasuke have Sakura, eh? Well, if it makes Sakura happy…I will pay more attention to Hinata then. She's a regular invisible girl, but once you get to know her, she really is nice._ Naruto continued to brood, and he didn't hear the approaching person, until he called out. "Hey, Naruto!"

Naruto snapped out of his reverie. "Aa. Kiba."

Kiba glared at Naruto. "What are you doing with Hinata?"

Naruto blinked. "Huh?"

Kiba roared, "I asked you what your relationship with Hinata is?"

Naruto replied, "She's my friend. And soon, I think she'll become much more. She's really nice, you know?"

Kiba snarled, "Stay away from her! I deserve her! Not you!"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Oh, so the inu-trainer has developed feelings for Hinata, eh?"

Kiba retorted, "I've known her longer, and I know her better!"

Naruto replied, "Too bad she doesn't have feelings for you, Kiba!"

Kiba glared at Naruto. "Well, I'm just warning you to stay away from her! Tonight's dinner meant nothing, do you hear? Nothing!"

Naruto snapped back, "Tonight's dinner means a lot! It's the beginning of a new relationship!"

Kiba's face contorted with anger. "No! Hinata has to have some feelings for me! I've been through much more with her than you have! I'm her teammate!"  
Naruto shrugged and turned away. "I don't have time to argue with you over Hinata. I have feelings for her. Just know that."

He walked away, leaving a fuming Kiba behind him. Naruto headed back to the house. _Hinata-chan is my friend…maybe more than that…_Naruto let himself into the house and changed quickly into his sleeping-wear. As he fell asleep, Naruto thought drowsily, _I…love…Hinata-chan…

* * *

_

AN: I didn't make up the scenes of Ino and Shikamaru! I got i from"My Sassy Girl", which I just saw, and I thought it was hilarious, so I added it into my story. Bleah! So sorry for that long update! I have a lot of things going on right now…and not enough time to update. Anyway. Just want to make a few points clear…This is mainly a SasuSaku fic! I am a SasuSaku fan, so this is a SasuSaku fic. That's why the story focuses on that pair. And NaruHina won…6 to 3, but I guess I could add some KibaHina for that pairing's fans. I can't update my profile for some reason, so just to let you guys know, I have decided on _When Opposites Meet._ The first chapter is already halfway finished, so expect that one. Sorry for that long author's note!


	7. Day 6: Friday

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

* * *

**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Day 6: Friday**

Sakura tossed fitfully, burning from the fever. Once or twice, she saw a blurry vision of Sasuke leaning over her, but of course, she could have been dreaming. It was probably the middle of the afternoon when Sakura awoke properly. She asked thickly, "Sasuke-kun…?"

He nodded nearby. He looked tired, and Sakura felt bad for being sick. Sakura rasped out through a painful throat, "Sorry for keeping you, Sasuke-kun…"

He shook his head. "You were sick. You feel okay?"

Sakura nodded. "Water…please…"

Sasuke wordlessly gave her a cup of water. She sipped it and sat up. Sakura cleared her throat. "Are you okay, Sasuke-kun? Do you want some sleep?"

Sasuke checked the clock, tiredly. "Yeah, you'll be okay if I sleep for an hour or something?"

Sakura nodded, shocked by Sasuke's sudden show of feelings. _Is this really Sasuke-kun?_ Sasuke continued, "Don't hesitate to wake me up if you need me."  
Sakura nodded again and watched Sasuke's receding back wordlessly. She lay back down until she heard the door to Sasuke's room slam shut. After a few minutes, Sakura got up and tiptoed into his room. There, Sasuke was sprawled on his bed, mouth slightly open as he slept. Sakura walked slowly up to his bed, admiring his peaceful face. She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips and straightened up. Sakura whispered, "Sasuke-kun…I love you…"

She walked out quietly, trying not to disturb his slumber. As soon as Sakura closed the door quietly, Sasuke opened his eyes and touched his lips with his finger. He liked the feeling of Sakura's lips against his. _Sakura…_Sasuke smirked and rolled over, falling asleep this time. Sakura headed over to Ino's house and knocked on the door. Chouji opened it and grinned at Sakura. "Hi, Sakura."

Sakura greeted him cheerfully. "Hey, Chouji. Is Ino inside?"

Chouji nodded and opened the door. Sakura walked in and yelled, "Hey, Ino!"

Ino came out. She smiled at Sakura. Sakura said, "I was sick. Sorry I couldn't come over more often."

Ino nodded and squealed, "Oh, Sakura! So many things have happened! I have to tell you!"

She dragged Sakura into her room and relayed the past few events. Sakura grinned widely. "So, you and Shikamaru have gotten together, eh?"

Sakura dodged Ino's playful swipe as she teased back, "So, you and Sasuke have gotten together, eh?"

Sakura blushed and protested, "No way! You know, since I'm his teammate, he asked me."

Ino said slyly, "Well, he turned me down awful harsh, you know…"

Sakura turned her head away, embarrassed. Ino noticed this and changed the subject. "So, Sakura, have you been at the village yet?"

Sakura shook her head. Ino grinned. "Well, let's go now!"

Sakura agreed. "Okay, let me go get my wallet, okay?"

She jumped up and blushed again as Ino shouted after her, "Make sure Sasuke won't worry about you! Ha!"

Sakura ran to her house quickly and grabbed her wallet. She peeked into Sasuke's and Naruto's room quickly and found both of them asleep. Sakura walked up to Sasuke cautiously. When he didn't move, Sakura scribbled a note and put it in his hand. Sasuke's hand reflexively closed on it, and Sakura smiled. She walked out of the house with a key in her purse, and Ino exclaimed, "Let's go already!"

The two girls walked to the small village in silence. On the way there, they met Hinata and Tenten. Ino invited, "Hey! Let's all go and get some ice cream or something!"

The other two agreed, and the four girls happily made their way to the village. Ino directed the others into a little ice cream shop. Ino grinned and said, "I spotted this place while Shikamaru and I were shopping."

Tenten asked playfully, "So how's it going between you and Shikamaru?"

Ino replied cheerfully, "So how's it going between you and Neji?"

Everyone laughed, and then Sakura turned expectantly to Hinata. "Did that baka notice you yet?"

Hinata blushed. "Y-Yes…"

Ino crowed, "I knew it! So, what did he do?"

Hinata mumbled, "Nothing m-much…just t-talked…"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. But we'll leave you alone, Hinata-chan…for now…"

They each ordered their own ice cream and proceeded to sit down in one of the booths near the window. Ino mused, "You know, three weeks is a very long time for vacation. If we don't keep up our training, we're going to become worse and worse."

Tenten replied, "Neji and I train. I think we deserve this vacation."

Hinata and Sakura both gulped. Sakura confessed, "Well, I've been training too…with…Sasuke-kun…"

Ino yelled, "Ha! See? Sasuke has feelings for you!"

Sakura bent her head down and blushed. Tenten snickered, but Hinata smiled encouragingly. "I w-was wondering when h-he would open up t-to you…"

Sakura glanced up. "Well…he hasn't really…but he was taking care of me, too, when I was sick."

Ino smirked and Tenten grinned. "Sasuke? The Uchiha Sasuke took care of you?"

Sakura nodded. Ino sighed blissfully. "We need to play truth-or-dare sometime…"

Sakura sweatdropped as she remembered what happened last time. Tenten remembered too, and steered the conversation to another topic quickly. "So, Ino…You know what we should do? We should invite everyone to the hot-springs in this village once we get back."

Sakura and Hinata agreed enthusiastically. Ino nodded. "Sounds like a good idea to me!"

Sakura finished off the last of her ice cream. "Well, what are we waiting for? If we get back soon, then we'll have more time to spend at the hot springs!"

Ino stood up. "Well, I'm done."

Hinata and Tenten finished theirs quickly, and the four trooped back to the houses. They each separated into their houses to rouse everyone else. Sakura unlocked the door to the house, and as soon as she did, Naruto bounded up. "Hey, Sakura-chan! Where were you?"

Sakura smiled. "I was out enjoying myself with Ino and Hinata and Tenten."

Sakura noticed a change in Naruto's face when she mentioned Hinata. Sakura smiled inwardly and continued, "Ino knows this great hot-springs place. She invited everyone. Want to come?"

Naruto nodded. Sakura headed towards Sasuke's room. "Well, let me wake up Sasuke-kun and ask him. If he wants to, then all three of us will go."

Naruto nodded again. Sakura opened the door to Sasuke's room to find him still asleep. Sakura thought wryly, _He must be really tired._ Sakura placed a cool hand on his forehead. His eyes immediately snapped open, and his hand had grabbed her wrist automatically. Sakura looked startled but reassured him, "It's only me."

Sasuke relaxed and let go of her. "What do you want?"

Sakura replied evenly, "Ino invited all of us to the hot springs. Want to come?"

Sasuke remained motionless, and then he sat up. "Sure…"

Sakura exited the room and waited on one of the sofas. Sasuke emerged two minutes later. Without a word, the three left the house. Tenten, Neji, Ino, Shikamaru, and Lee were already waiting. Naruto immediately asked, "Where's Hinata?"

As if to respond to his question, Hinata and Kiba emerged and approached the group. Ino yelled aloud to get everyone's attention. "Alright then…assuming you know where we're going, let's go!"

The group moved off with Ino and Shikamaru in the front, followed by Tenten and Neji. Lee was dashing around excitedly, and Hinata was surrounded by Kiba and Naruto. Sasuke and Sakura brought up the back. Kiba grinned. "Hey, Hinata, how about you and me go get some dinner in the village afterwards?"

Hinata looked to Naruto nervously. He shrugged but looked uncomfortable. Hinata nodded and stammered, "O-Okay…"

Kiba gave a triumphant grin to Naruto over Hinata's head. Naruto scowled back at him in reply. Near the end of the group, Sasuke was deep in thought, and Sakura glanced at Sasuke from time to time. As they neared the hot-springs, Ino directed the girls to their section, and Shikamaru led the boys to theirs. Naruto rubbed his hands together gleefully. "Well, you know what always happens in the hot-springs!"

Sasuke and Neji immediately said, "Don't count me in."

Lee looked on curiously as Kiba and Naruto snickered delightfully. Kiba exclaimed, "We peep! It's a tradition!"

Shikamaru replied, "Well, I strongly advise you against it if you want to live."

Sasuke muttered, "I did consider you a rival, Naruto. Now, however, I think differently…"

Neji spoke directly to Lee. "Lee…don't you dare sink as low as them."

Lee bowed his head and muttered, "Of course not…I will be better than my rival!"

However, he did cast a quick glance at the girls' section of the hot-spring. Sasuke ducked into the bathroom and reemerged with a towel around his waist. Neji did the same, and Lee followed quickly. Soon, all the boys were changed into towels. Meanwhile…the girls were already in the hot-springs. Ino sighed blissfully. "Isn't this great?"

Sakura nodded, but she was obviously preoccupied. Tenten pulled her towel tighter and teased, "So, Sakura, are you thinking about Sasuke?"  
Sakura blushed. _I am blushing way too much today…_"No way!"

Tenten grinned, but she dropped the subject. Ino said mischievously, "You know what's traditional in a hot spring?"

Sakura immediately said, "Don't go there."

Hinata stammered, "N-No peeking!"

Tenten grinned. "Sounds fun…kinda…"

Ino laughed. "Come on, guys! It'll be fun! And they won't notice us!"

Sakura muttered darkly, "No way! Don't count me in."

Hinata shook her head, but her face reddened when she thought of Naruto. Tenten immediately said playfully, "Ooh, Hinata is thinking of someone…I bet it's Naruto!"

Hinata shook her head. Sakura shot back teasingly, "Ooh, Tenten is thinking of someone…I bet it's Neji!"

Ino joined in, "Ooh, Sakura is thinking of someone…I bet it's Sasuke!"

The other three chimed, "Ooh, Ino is thinking of someone…I bet it's Shikamaru!"

The four laughed playfully. The boys on the other side heard them laughing, and Naruto wondered aloud, "I wonder what they're laughing at?"

Kiba muttered, "I wonder what Hinata looks like right now…"

Sasuke thought, _I wonder what Sakura looks like…Nani! Why am I thinking that? Sure, she's pretty and all, but I'm not that attracted!_ Sasuke shook his head quickly. The motion caught Lee's attention. He asked, "Sasuke! What are you thinking of, hmm?"

The others turned towards him. Sasuke felt his face grow very hot. He struggled out, "None of your business."

Lee's grin stretched across his whole face. "Well, now! Who would have known? The Uchiha Sasuke has developed feelings for someone!"

Sasuke yelled, "No, I don't! What's your problem, Lee? Love is a sign of weakness!"

Neji said quietly, "I would ask what is yours, Uchiha. Love is not a weakness. It can also strengthen someone."

Sasuke shot back sarcastically, "Oh, and the great Hyuuga Neji knows?"

Neji merely shook his head. Shikamaru commented, "I wonder why Sasuke's on edge?"

Sasuke turned his head away with a 'hmph'. Kiba whined, "I want to take a peek…but all these trees are in the way! We need a Hyuuga!"

Neji responded automatically, "Hinata."

Kiba sneered, "In case you haven't noticed, Hinata is a girl. We need a guy who's able to see through all this and tell us what's on the other side."

Neji replied icily, "Even an idiot could tell you what's on the other side. The girls."

Naruto sighed, "Ah, Neji, you're too innocent…"

Sasuke snorted. "Innocent?"

Lee exclaimed, "There is no way Hyuuga Neji will sink so low! He will not peek!"

Realization dawned on Neji, and the girls on the other side heard him explode. Ino murmured, "Whoa…Neji can be very emotional, you know?"

Tenten strained her ears. "I think I can just barely distinguish the words…There's 'baka'…I heard 'stoop' just now…And there's 'low', and 'imbeciles'."

Sakura sunk lower in the relaxing water. "I wonder what that means."

Tenten tried to piece it together. "A baka doesn't stoop as low as imbeciles?"

Hinata giggled. "N-No…I think N-Neji was t-trying to t-tell the others t-that he won't stoop so low…t-to do something…"

Ino suggested, "You mean something as low as using the Byakugan to peek?"  
Silence…then Hinata protested, "Oh n-no, Ino-chan, n-no, n-no, no, n-no!"

Sakura gasped, "You can't make Hinata do that!"

Tenten was giggling, but Ino remained adamant. "Come on, Hinata, don't you want to see Naruto? And you, Sakura, what about Sasuke?"

Sakura fell silent. Then, she said, "Well, Hinata…maybe you could take a quick peek of Sasuke-kun for me? And tell me what he looks like?"

Hinata shook her head vigorously. Ino, the merciless one, grinned. "Well, I guess we'll just have to tell Naruto that Hinata likes him then…"

Hinata squeaked, "N-No! Don't!"

Sakura pleaded, "Oh, come on, Hinata. It's not that bad. They're wearing towels!"

Tenten muttered, "What a pity."

Ino giggled at Tenten's phrase, and Sakura started blushing. Hinata stammered, "I'll u-use my B-Byakugan very quickly…and you c-can't tell N-Naruto!"

The others solemnly nodded, and Hinata took a deep breath. She focused her eyes towards the boy's section and whispered regretfully, "Byakugan!"

For five seconds, Hinata kept the Byakugan, and then she retracted it, panting. Hinata gasped, "T-Too much! I d-don't want t-to see the g-guys wearing o-only towels!"

The others crowded around her. "What did you see, Hinata-chan? Was Sasuke-kun there? What was Shikamaru doing? Did Neji look happy?"

Hinata regained her breath and answered them one-by-one. "Sasuke-kun was t-there, but he l-looked bored, and h-he seemed to be b-brooding. Shikamaru was j-just staring at t-the sky. Neji was s-staring at the w-water."  
Sakura, Ino, and Tenten seemed satisfied, and for the rest of the time, they chatted amiably. After two hours, Ino got up and groaned. "Time to go home. Maybe eat some dinner."

Sakura clambered out, followed by the last two. The four trooped wearily to the girls' changing rooms, and on the way, they met the boys. Sakura greeted Sasuke cheerfully, Ino punched Shikamaru playfully, Tenten grinned at Neji, but Hinata kept her gaze on the ground, blushing madly. Naruto waved to Hinata, and the groups passed by each other without much incident. Kiba shouted to Hinata, "Well, Hinata, remember our deal! Dinner afterwards!"

Hinata nodded uncomfortably, and Naruto did not miss this. When everyone had finished changing, Naruto offered to Sasuke and Sakura, "Want to eat dinner? Just the three of us; team 7!"

Sakura agreed. Sasuke grunted, and everyone else except them and Hinata and Kiba headed back home. Naruto beckoned for Sasuke and Sakura to follow him. He whispered, "Be quiet, okay? We can't let Hinata and Kiba know that we're stalking them…"

Sakura raised an eyebrow, but she crept along quietly with Naruto. Sasuke looked pissed off and hissed, "Dobe. I could be in bed, right now. What's the point of me and Sakura coming along?"

Naruto replied, "Sakura is Hinata's friend, and it's not that suspicious if we're all here."

Sakura giggled, but Sasuke was not amused. The three followed Hinata and Kiba into the restaurant, and they seated themselves somewhere where they could see the two, but the two couldn't see them. The waitress came up and giggled at Sasuke, who rolled his eyes in reply. Naruto ordered, "I'll have some ramen. I don't care which type."

Sakura and Sasuke ordered a small dinner, and Naruto continued watching Kiba and Hinata. Hinata looked very uncomfortable, but Kiba was laughing in an obnoxious way. Sometimes, Kiba would look towards Naruto's direction, which caused Naruto to stiffen. Sakura and Sasuke ate silently while Naruto continued watching Kiba and the suffering Hinata. Sakura broke the awkward silence. "Naruto really likes Hinata, doesn't he, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke shrugged. Sakura continued softly, "I wish I had someone who would like me that much."

Sasuke nearly said aloud, _You do. But you just don't know._ Instead, he replaced those words with a cold, "You will someday."

Sakura twisted her head slightly to look at Sasuke. Her smile made his heart skip a beat. Sakura said sweetly, "Thank you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke mumbled something incoherently, and Naruto jumped up. He whispered madly, "Hinata and Kiba are leaving! Let's go!"

Sakura glanced at the untouched bowl of Naruto's ramen, but she followed Naruto out obediently. Sasuke paid for the bill and mused, _Naruto must really like Hinata. Almost as much as I love Sakura._ Soon, they reached the houses. Kiba and Hinata disappeared into theirs, and Naruto cursed. Sasuke shrugged, and he walked into their house. Sakura followed, and after Naruto gave a disconsolate glance towards Hinata's direction, he entered the house last. Naruto barricaded himself inside his room as soon as he stepped into the house. Sasuke and Sakura stood their awkwardly. On sudden impulse, Sasuke closed the distance between them with one stride and captured Sakura's lips with his. He kissed her quickly and then stepped back. Sakura trembled. "Sasuke-kun?"

He merely smirked. "Night."

Sasuke strode into his room, and Sakura heard the door close. After five minutes of silence, Sakura had the impression he was already asleep. Half of her wanted to go inside his room and cuddle with him, but Sakura restrained herself. She remained there for a moment and then headed into her room as well. She quickly changed into her pajamas, and then fell asleep to dreams of Sasuke.


	8. Day 7: Saturday

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

* * *

**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Day 7: Saturday**

Sakura awoke to the sound of banging on the door. She checked the clock and muttered sleepily, "Geez, it's only seven…It's only seven! Oh man, I should be up already!"

Sakura grabbed a robe and hastily pulled it on. "I'm coming! Hold up a second, will you?"

Sakura pulled open the front door and smiled. "Hey, Ino-chan! What's up?"

Ino panted, "I was just at the village, and, Sakura, the dance that was scheduled for this Friday?"

Sakura nodded as Ino regained her breath. "Well, I checked the time just to make sure they have us booked and everything…"

Sakura kept nodding, not seeing where this was going. Ino blurted out, "They rescheduled it for tomorrow night! At seven!"

Sakura flinched in surprise. "Tomorrow? That's a surprise. Well, we better tell the others."

Ino nodded, and Sakura retreated into the house, quickly got changed and went into Sasuke's room to rouse him only to find he wasn't there. Sakura scratched her head. "Nani? Where's Sasuke-kun?"

Sakura dashed into Naruto's room and scribbled him a quick note before running out the door. Sakura wondered, _Where's Sasuke-kun?_ She walked along the cliff path overlooking the sea, hoping to find Sasuke. Sakura spotted a figure standing up ahead a little ways off the trail near the cliff edge. Sakura jogged up to it and smiled. "Sasuke-kun, what are you doing out here?"

Sasuke shifted his gaze onto her. He replied, "None of your business."

Sakura was a bit taken aback. _He was so nice to me yesterday…I wonder what happened?_ Sakura smiled coolly. "Okay, well, whatever. The dance is rescheduled for tomorrow, so…yeah."

Sakura turned around and started walking back. Suddenly, Sasuke said, "Wait."

Sakura turned around expectantly. "Yeah? I need to get back and tell the others, you know."

Sasuke took her hand and squeezed it before releasing. Sakura smiled faintly. It was his way of apologizing. Sakura hugged him quickly and ran off towards Naruto. She barged into his room and yelled, "Naruto! Hinata's going to burn all your ramen!"

Naruto sat up. "Nani? No way! Aah! Tell Hinata-chan to stop! She wouldn't do that!"

Sakura giggled. "Ah, just kidding. Get up. The dance is rescheduled for tomorrow."

Naruto yelled in panic, "I haven't asked Hinata-chan yet! And Kiba might have already asked her!"

Sakura giggled helplessly. "Well, go ask her now! Hinata's waiting!"

Sakura exited the room to let Naruto change. A minute later, he burst out of his room and was already out the front door before Sakura could blink. Sakura murmured, "Whoa…Naruto's got some speed there…"

Sasuke walked into the door, covered in dust. Sakura laughed at him. "What happened to you, Sasuke-kun?"

He growled, "That baka ran past me at full speed as if Ichiraku was on fire…"

Sakura giggled. "He's going to go ask Hinata to the dance."

Sasuke glanced at Sakura slyly. "Heh, I already solved that problem."

Sakura blushed and ducked her head. Sasuke took a quick shower and reemerged in clean clothes. Sakura was sitting on the window seat, staring at the ocean. Sasuke said, "Ino-pig kept asking me if I liked you."

Sakura's face grew hot, but she couldn't help but smirk at the nickname Sasuke used. Sakura merely replied, "Oh?"

All of the sudden, Sasuke was behind Sakura. Sakura drew in her breath sharply. Sasuke bent down so his breath was tickling the back of Sakura's neck. "Do you want to know what I said?"

She responded dully, "I already know."

Sasuke straightened in alarm. "You do?"

Sakura continued, "Of course! You said 'no' like always. Sasuke-kun, you don't think I'm that stupid, do you?"

Sasuke smirked. "Actually, I didn't say 'no'."

Sakura's heart began beating quickly. "You said…'maybe'?"

Sasuke's smirk grew wider. He lectured Sakura, "Sakura…when somebody asks a question, the usual answer is 'yes' or 'no'."

Sakura remained silent, staring out at the ocean. Sasuke looked at her reflection in the window and continued, "And if my answer isn't 'no'…"

Sakura whispered, "Then it's…"

Sasuke finished for her, "Yes."

Sakura spun around and stared at Sasuke. "N-Nani?"

The Uchiha smirked again, and Sakura longed to wipe it off his face. She clenched her fists but kept her temper in check. She whispered, "So…so…"

Sasuke nodded. "Yeah. Believe it or not."

He couldn't bring himself to say the words 'I love you' for some reason, even though he whispered it to her while she was asleep. Sakura hugged her knees to her chest and kept her eyes on Sasuke's face. She whispered, "For how long, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke shrugged indifferently. "I don't know. It just kinda crept upon me one day. What does it matter, though?"

Sakura smiled quietly. _I never…thought this day…would come true…_Sasuke hugged her tentatively. Sakura smiled and leaned into Sasuke. _Dreams…come true after all._ Suddenly, Sakura asked, "Sasuke-kun…do you know how many people don't have a partner? Cuz we only have a few girls and a lot of boys."

Sasuke sighed. He could hardly care less, but he replied anyway, "I think Shino, Kiba, Chouji, Naruto, and Hinata are the only ones who don't have partners."

Sakura smiled. "I really hope that Naruto is Hinata's partner. Hinata likes him so much, but Naruto's so oblivious."

Sasuke smirked. "Dobe."

Sakura suddenly gasped as she was looking out the window, and she ran out the door. Sasuke followed her, and they arrived at the cove where Naruto and Kiba were facing each other. Hinata looked frightened, and she was standing to the side. Sakura leapt down the stairs quickly and dashed up to Hinata, asking curiously, "What's happening?"

Hinata poked her fingers together worriedly. "K-Kiba and N-Naruto asked me t-to the dance at the s-same time…"

Sakura patted Hinata sympathetically. "Oh, I see. Well, I'm pretty sure this won't result with too much blood."

Hinata's eyes widened with fear and she trembled. Sasuke stood to the left of Sakura and slightly behind her. He murmured, "Naruto will win."

Hinata turned around slightly, a little panic in her voice. "T-They're going to fight?"  
Sasuke nodded, undisturbed. "Most likely."

Hinata gulped. "Should we stop them?"

Sasuke shook his head. "It shouldn't be too serious."

Sakura muttered, "I can't believe they're going to fight over this…this is ridiculous."

Naruto rolled up his sleeves. "Kiba! What's your problem? I ask Hinata to the dance, and you punch me! I thought we were friends!"

Kiba snarled, "I'm not letting some dobe like you near Hinata!"  
Naruto replied, "Why don't you let Hinata choose then?"  
Kiba yelled, "I know Hinata better than you do! I know what's best for her!"

Naruto shrugged. "I guess you do…but, Hinata-chan is my friend!"

Suddenly Kiba made a dash towards Naruto, fist drawn back. Naruto did the same, and right when the two were going to collide, Hinata jumped in between, shutting her eyes, and saying in the loudest voice she could muster, "S-Stop, p-please!"

The two boys directed their punches elsewhere at the last moment, and Hinata sank to the ground, relieved. Naruto ran towards Hinata. "Hinata-chan! Are you alright?"

Hinata smiled faintly. "H-Hai, Naruto-kun…"

Sakura remarked, "Well…that was surprising…and weird…"

Sasuke agreed silently. Kiba was helping Hinata up, too. Naruto asked, "Hey, Hinata-chan, want to go to the dance with me?"

Kiba asked at the same time, "Wanna go to the dance with me, Hinata?"

Tears formed in Hinata's eyes. Sakura felt sorry for Hinata and walked over to the three. She smiled and said, "Hey, guys…I don't think you should pressure Hinata. She can choose who she wants to go with."

Sakura nodded to Naruto and Kiba before squeezing Hinata's arm reassuringly and leaving. Sasuke walked up to Naruto and smirked. "Dobe. I found a partner in no time."

Naruto's face contorted with anger as he momentarily forgot about Hinata. Naruto snarled, "Shut up, Sasuke-teme! All you're doing is toying with Sakura-chan! You don't deserve someone like her, Sasuke! She's a tool for you! You needed a partner, and she was willing to do anything for you, so you chose her!"

Sakura paused on the third step of the stairs leading up to the houses from the cove. She listened to Naruto and Sasuke curiously. _That's not true is it…?_ Naruto could practically feel the white fury radiating off of Sasuke. Sasuke's voice trembled with controlled anger. "Shut up, Naruto. You don't know anything about me! I'd give everything I have for Sakura!"

Sakura froze as she heard this. She watched Naruto turn away and spit contemptuously. Sasuke turned away as well and walked up to Sakura, eyes full of rage. Sakura shrunk away fearfully, but Sasuke embraced her tightly. Sakura heard him whisper, "Sakura…Sakura…you mean everything to me…stupid Naruto…doesn't know anything…"

Sakura patted Sasuke's back tentatively, and Sasuke released her. He stuck his hands in his pockets and kept his head down. Sakura lead him into their house and smiled at Sasuke. "Don't let what he said get to you, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke looked at Sakura and sighed. He reached out a hand to stroke her cheek and said softly, "I don't want you to be taken away from me…"

Sakura smiled as she hugged Sasuke. "Do I really mean that much to you?"

Sasuke whispered, "Yes…You make me humane…My sanity stays…I don't know what I would do without you…"

Sakura hugged him tightly. "No matter what happens, I won't leave you, okay?"

Sasuke smiled. "Okay."

Sakura wondered aloud, "I wonder how Naruto is doing with Hinata and Kiba…"

Naruto turned to Hinata after he couldn't see Sasuke anymore. He grinned. "How about it, Hinata? I'll take you to the dance!"

Kiba scowled. "What about me?"

Hinata turned to Kiba, and then she turned to Naruto. The poor Hyuuga whimpered. _I want to choose Naruto, but I don't want Kiba to be mad at me…_She stammered, "K-Kiba…can I p-please go with N-Naruto-kun?"

Kiba's face darkened, but as he looked at Hinata's strained face, he sighed. "Okay…okay…"

Hinata managed a small smile, and Naruto grinned at Kiba. "Thanks, Kiba."

Naruto lead Hinata down to the cove again, and Kiba watched them go. He sighed, "Well…I suppose it's the best for Hinata, right, Akamaru?"

Akamaru barked sadly. Kiba turned on his heel and walked back to his house slowly. Naruto lead Hinata down into the cove, and Sasuke smirked. "Well, I guess that dobe won."

Sakura chided Sasuke gently, "You really should give Naruto some credit."

Sasuke shrugged. "Whatever. Anyway…we should be going out to train, you know."

Sakura agreed. "I'll go change, and we can leave."

The pink-haired ninja was back in a minute. She strapped on her kunai holster and checked her weapons pouch before nodding. Sasuke walked out the door, and Sakura followed after writing a note for Naruto. Sasuke asked, "So you still have the money that Kakashi-sensei gave us for the stay, right?"

Sakura nodded. Sasuke continued, "Remember…we can't tell Naruto or else he'll waste it on ramen."

Sakura cringed. "Imagine that…eating ramen for the rest of the day…I think I'd rather have that soup I cooked on the first day!"

This time, Sasuke cringed inwardly and almost said aloud, _I'd rather have ramen than that poison you cooked up._ Instead, he nodded. They arrived at the clearing they were training at last time, and until late evening, they trained. Sasuke blocked a punch from Sakura and nodded. "Alright. I think we're done. Let's go home now."

Sakura retrieved her weapons, and she stowed them away. Too tired to say anything, the two walked home in silence. Just as they topped the hill, Sakura stopped and smiled faintly at the sight stretched out below them. Sasuke took a step forward, and then he tilted his head back. "You coming or not?"

Sakura nodded and followed Sasuke down towards the houses. She spotted Ino and waved, but the blonde wasn't paying attention. Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "What is she doing?"

Sakura squinted. "It almost looks like Ino's begging Shino to do something…"

Sakura grabbed Sasuke's hand and lead him forward. As she arrived near the two, Sakura couldn't help but grin. She asked incredulously, "Is this really Yamanaka Ino begging Shino to go to the dance? Ino is begging?"

Sakura stressed the last word. Ino whined, "I want everyone to go! Come on, Shino, you might meet some girl from the village who likes creepy, yucky, ugly bugs like you!"

Shino remained impassive. Sakura muttered under her breath, "If Shino would have moved right then, it would have been to raise his eyebrow. I wonder why he didn't strangle Ino for calling his precious bugs creepy, yucky, and ugly?"

Shino replied to Ino, "If you call my buys creepy, yucky, and ugly again, I will make sure that you won't be able to use chakra for a week."

Ino cringed. "Haha, I was just kidding…Anyway, you might meet someone you like there, Shino, so please come!"

Shino remained unmoving for a moment, and he almost sighed, "Fine. But only to stop you from bothering me, I'll go."

Ino squealed and was about to fling her arms around Shino, but she stopped and grinned. "Well, thanks for agreeing to come, Shino! Oh yeah, will you try to convince Kiba?"

Shino nodded and muttered rebelliously, "If I have to suffer, so will the dog-boy."

Sakura grinned at Ino. "Did you convince Lee yet?"

Ino shook with silent mirth. "All I had to say was that Sorai was going to be there, and he immediately said he would come."  
Sakura grinned. "Too easy, ne? Is Sorai really going?"

Ino nodded. "Some people from the village are going. I mean it's not private or anything. But it'll be fun!"

Sakura smiled and nodded. She jumped when Sasuke suddenly asked, "It's not…formal…right…"

Ino grinned. "Nah, it's not too formal. Just don't show up wearing a shirt and pants…that would be too casual."

Sasuke sweatdropped. "Chotto matte…what am I supposed to wear then?"

Ino shrugged, then pointed towards her house. "You decide. Shikamaru wants all the guys at his house right now…I don't know why…"

Sasuke nodded and walked off purposely. Ino cast a sly glance after him and nudged Sakura. "Heh, he'll treat you well, Sakura."

Sakura blushed. "We're just…"

She remembered what happened earlier on, and her eyes softened…_Sasuke…opened up to me. That's…unexpected, I guess._ Ino teased, "So did Sasuke declare his undying love for you?"

Sakura replied without thinking, "In his own way, yeah."

Ino squealed, "Omigosh, are you serious? Hahaha, I knew he loved you!"

Sakura blinked and screeched, "Oh no, I didn't tell you, did I?"

Ino grinned slyly, "Tell me what?"

The kunoichi shook her head. "Nah…nothing…"

She watched as Sasuke let himself in the door. Sasuke raised an eyebrow. All the guys on the island were inside Shikamaru's house. Shikamaru grinned. "Hey, Sasuke. Most of us don't like dressing formal for the party, so we're planning on wearing casual stuff."

Sasuke's eyebrow remained raised. "So…? How are you going to get there without Ino screaming at you and forcibly dragging you back here to change?"

Shikamaru grinned secretively. "Well, we'll get there earlier, and say we had to help out."

Chouji chuckled. "This sure is going to be funny…"

Shikamaru muttered, "It'll be troublesome as well…"

Sasuke shrugged. "Okay, whatever. This is pointless, I'm leaving."

He left wordlessly, and Neji spoke up, "Do you think he will comply?"

Kiba bark-laughed. "Of course! I mean…he might, right?"

Shino gave an inaudible sigh. "Okay…well, if this is it, I'm going back as well."

Sasuke headed out the house, brooding. _I wonder how Sakura will react if I show up wearing my usual clothes? I hope she doesn't plan on wearing anything fancy…_Sasuke let himself in the house and sought out Sakura, who was curled up in one of the sofas in front of the fireplace. She was reading quietly, but she looked up when Sasuke tapped her. "Nani?"

Sasuke asked, "Did you…You didn't buy anything fancy for the dance, did you?"

Sakura made a face. "Uhhh…not really…"

Sasuke nodded, and he cringed inwardly. _Not really? Don't butcher me, Sakura, when you find out I'm wearing casual clothing. We'll look odd…Casual and formal clash horribly_. Sasuke nodded absently again and asked Naruto, who was in his room, "Hey…did you get Shikamaru's message?"

Naruto nodded. Sasuke continued, "Are you going to do it?"

Naruto grinned. "Hell yeah! Anything for a glimpse of the look on Ino's face when we show up!"

Sasuke couldn't help but smirk. "Yeah…I guess it will be amusing…"

He retreated into his room and decided to just wear the regular outfit like usual. He wasn't worried about Ino's reaction, but Sakura's. _Well…she should understand…I hope…_Sasuke peeked out into the kitchen and saw Sakura cooking. Sasuke stole upon her and suddenly hugged her from behind. Sakura jumped and grinned nervously. "That scared me…and what are you doing, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke murmured into her hair, "Whatever I do…you'll still love me, right?"

Sakura grinned. "Yeah…yeah…why are you so worried?"  
Sasuke shook his head. "What if I do something really stupid?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "You sound like Naruto…"

The Uchiha quickly released her. "Ugh, I do?"

Sakura laughed and shook her head. Sasuke returned into his room. _Damn…I can't believe I'm being troubled by this…How stupid…_Sasuke didn't have much of an appetite during dinner, so he retired early and fell asleep before Sakura came inside. Sakura sat on the edge of his bed and ran her fingers through his hair. "Why are you so worried, Sasuke-kun? Hmm…"

Sakura lay down besides Sasuke and curled up, seeking his warmth. Soon, she fell asleep too, in the comfort of Sasuke.

* * *

AN: I don't like this chapter...it's too fast paced, there's OOC in it, it's boring, it's dull, it's crappy. The next chapter wil be better, though.

Okay, now, to answer a review from KagomeSiu, I'm sorry I can't make this fic funnier, but I'm just not that great of a humor-fic writer. If you don't like it, you don't have to read it, nobody's forcing you to, so yeah.

I'm considering changing the genre because I don't think I can make this fic any funnier like I said before...I'm better at writing tragedy and angst...Not that this fic will be one, of course. So if you review, please tell me whether I should change the genre.

And my last problem, some people want ShikamaruTemari and others like ShikamaruIno. If you review, please tell me which pair I should write about, and if most people don't care, I'll just stick to ShikamaruIno.


	9. Day 8: Sunday

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

* * *

**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Day 8: Sunday**

Sakura woke up early on the day of the dance because she was excited. Sakura immediately sat up, which caused Sasuke to wake up because he had unconsciously wrapped his arms around her small frame. Sasuke muttered groggily, "What the hell is your problem, Sakura, it's five, and I want to sleep."

Sakura kissed him happily on the forehead. "It's the day of the dance, Sasuke-kun!"

Sasuke turned his face away so she wouldn't see the light blush on his face. He replied gruffly, "Whatever…I'm going back to sleep."

Sakura ruffled his hair, and then she fled the room, giggling, because Sasuke growled playfully. Sakura changed into some warm clothes and ran out the door, too excited to stand still. Sakura accidentally ran into Tenten. "Ouch!"

Tenten fell down and let out a small yelp. Sakura opened her mouth to apologize, but in flash, Neji was holding Tenten up with an arm around her waist. He glared at Sakura slightly. "What was that for? Why did you knock Tenten down? What's your problem?"

Tenten brushed herself off and interrupted, "It's okay, Neji. She was just excited."

Sakura grinned sheepishly. She shuffled her feet awkwardly, but Tenten grinned. "It's okay, Sakura. We're going to go now, okay?"

Tenten walked away, holding Neji's hand reassuringly to let him know that she was unharmed. Tenten wondered aloud, "I wonder what Sakura was doing up so early?"

Neji squeezed her hand. "Probably taking a walk…but she was without Sasuke…"

Tenten shook her head. "No, I don't think she was taking a walk like we were. Let's go to that place that's a little ways off the trail, near the cliff edge."

Neji raised an eyebrow. "You mean the place where there are rocks scattered everywhere, and you can see the ocean?"

Tenten nodded, and her eyes shined. "Yeah, that's my favorite place!"

Neji smiled fondly. He enjoyed precious moments like these with Tenten, and when she was happy, so was he. Neji led her there gently and sat down. Tenten sat next to him, gazing out at the sea. Neji threw an arm around her shoulders. Tenten sighed blissfully. "I could stay here forever with you, Neji…"

Neji nodded in agreement and drew her closer. The two were completely content with just sitting in each other's company and staring at the sea. Suddenly, Tenten said, "Neji, don't ever leave me, okay?"

Neji gave her a squeeze. "Never. I promise, as long as I live, I will never leave you."

Tenten smiled faintly. "And I swear that I will never leave your side for as long as I live, either."

She nodded, satisfied. Neji smiled at her simplicity. _She thinks that saying something will forever bind someone to their world. It doesn't. In this case, it isn't words that bound us by our promise, but our love._ Tenten looked at Neji. "What are you thinking about?"

Neji looked down at her and replied, "How lucky I am to be with you right here, right now."

Tenten snuggled closer to Neji. "Yeah…I'm glad we have each other, Neji. This moment could go on forever, for all I care."

Neji replied, "I am the luckiest man on earth. An angel fell in love with me."

Tenten blushed and hugged Neji. "And I'm the luckiest woman on earth. Hyuuga Neji, the Hyuuga prodigy, fell in love with me."

Neji just chuckled as Tenten giggled. Tenten grinned. "Are you excited about the dance?"

Neji grimaced. "Not really…but for you, I'll go, and I'll enjoy it."

Tenten smirked, pleased by Neji's answer. She gushed excitedly, "I bought this cute dress! I hope you have something decent to wear, Hyuuga Neji!"

Neji flinched. "Uhhh…yeah, I do…"

Tenten continued, "Because if you don't, I will give you the hardest time of your life!"

Neji gulped inaudibly and cringed inwardly. _Oh…man…crap…I could just tell Shikamaru that…no…I'll never go back on my words. Tenten…she'll forgive me…_Neji smiled and nodded absently. Tenten stood up and brushed herself off. "Time to go, Neji! Breakfast needs to be cooked, and I bet Lee will be hungry."

Neji grumbled, annoyed that their precious moments together was interrupted. However, he walked with Tenten back to their house uncomplainingly. They passed Hinata on the way, and Tenten greeted her cheerfully. Hinata smiled shyly as Neji greeted her formally, but with a hint of warmth. Tenten entered the house and froze as she saw a girl about their age inside. Tenten opened her mouth, but Lee bounded up and grinned. "Ah, eternal rival, and kind teammate! This is Sorai!"

Tenten smiled widely. "Why, hello, Sorai! Lee's told us a lot about you."

Sorai blushed. Neji nodded to Sorai and helped Tenten prepare breakfast. Tenten asked, "So, Sorai, are you a ninja?"

Sorai blushed. "Well, I was for a while, but it didn't suit me, so I came here to live."

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What's your specialty?"

Sorai looked up and pondered. A slow grin spread across her face. "Since ninjutsu and genjutsu was hard for me, I settled with training hard in taijutsu!"

Lee dropped the plate he was cleaning. "Taijutsu? Just like me!"

Sorai raised an eyebrow. "Really? My ninjutsu and genjutsu were so bad, I gave up trying to master them."

Lee grinned. "I can't do ninjutsu or genjutsu at all!"

Neji and Tenten sweatdropped. They glanced at each other with a look that said, _He says it like it's something to be proud of…_Tenten giggled, and Neji shook his head. Lee grabbed Sorai's wrist and dragged her out of the house. "Let's train together, Sorai!"

Sorai giggled, and Neji sighed. "Now, we have the house to ourselves!"

Tenten smiled shyly at Neji. He smirked at her nervousness and stepped up beside her, making Tenten blush. He threw an arm around her kindly. "You aren't nervous around me, are you?"

Tenten grinned. "No…just our close proximity!"

Neji laughed at her and planted a firm kiss on her lips. Tenten blushed madly and returned his kiss. She pulled away, beet-red and muttered something about cleaning up the dish Lee broke. Tenten ran into her room and sat down in the window seat. She stared out the window and saw Hinata walking down the cove. Tenten grinned at Hinata, but she didn't see. Hinata's attention was focused on something else…or rather, someone else. Hinata called out, "N-Naruto…"

Naruto, who was sitting on his favorite rock and staring out into the ocean, flinched, but he turned to Hinata with a smile on his face. "Hey, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata shuffled towards Naruto shyly. He scooted over and invited Hinata to sit down with him. Hinata did so, and she blushed deeply when Naruto threw his arm around Hinata's shoulders. Naruto sighed blissfully. "There's nothing better than sitting at my favorite placed with a loved one! Except maybe, if I had a cup of ramen…"

Hinata laughed and tentatively leaned her head on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto grinned out towards the sea. "Hinata-chan…about the dance…"

His grin turned sheepish. "I'll make sure you have fun and everything…demo…I don't really know how to dance…"

Hinata giggled. "That o-okay…I'll t-teach y-you at the d-dance…"

Naruto gave Hinata his trademark grin, which caused her to smile and cast her eyes towards the ground. Naruto looked at his watch. "Well, the guys are supposed to get to the dance early…so, I'll have to leave at around 5:30, okay?"

Hinata nodded. Naruto continued, "Since it's already noon, I should eat something."

Hinata offered on impulse, "I'll cook lunch for you…ramen?"

Naruto grinned widely. "Really? Sakura-chan won't let me have ramen…she says it damages how her brain functions."

Hinata giggled. "Well...We have some ramen, and Kiba and Shino don't like it, so…"

Hinata stood up and led Naruto to her house. On the way, she was nearly run over by Ino. Ino yelled, "Sorry, Hinata-chan!"  
Ino dashed into her house and found what she was looking for. "Nara Shikamaru!"

Shikamaru looked up from his bed. He was staring out the window at the clouds. "What…"

Ino's nostrils flared. "What's this about the guys…"

Shikamaru gulped nervously. _She didn't find out, did she?_ Ino continued shrilly, "…going to the dance early?"

Shikamaru almost sighed with relief but caught himself. "Well…we have to help set up and stuff…"

Ino raised an eyebrow. "The couples are supposed to go together! Arm in arm!"

Shikamaru thought wryly, _She's had this all planned out fancy and grand…and I had to ruin it. Well…it's for the best, right?_ Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome...the host said we had to go help out otherwise we pay extra."

Ino protested, "But he didn't say that to me when I talked to him!"

Shikamaru defended, "Not my fault…his!"

Ino's face fell. It nearly made Shikamaru change his mind about dressing casually and going early, but Ino suddenly glared at Shikamaru. "Fine…but it better look good!"

She stormed out the house and encountered Sakura. Sakura asked Ino, "What's wrong?"

Ino sighed, frustrated. "I just found out the guys are going early!"

Sakura nodded. "Sasuke-kun just told me…I wasn't very happy, because I wanted us to go together…"

Ino snapped her fingers. "Same here! What is up with those guys…don't they feel anything for us?"

Sakura smiled. "It's okay, I suppose. Anyway, since the guys are leaving soon, let's help each other dress up."

Ino brightened up. "Yeah! I'll go tell Hinata and Tenten!"

The two girls separated, and Sakura headed back into her house. "Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke limped out his door. Sakura smiled shyly. "I'm sorry…"

The Uchiha looked like a mess. Haruno Sakura had successfully beaten up the only Uchiha to survive the massacre. Sasuke thought, _It's an amazement how much strength women have when you have sufficiently pissed them off…which I did in this case. Damn, it hurts…_Sasuke rubbed a large bruise on his arm. "That's okay…you only bruised me in several different places, almost twisted my ankle, nearly broke my fingers, and bloodied my nose."  
Sakura inched closer to him and wrapped her arms around his eyes. She gave him his puppy eyes. "You forgive me, right?"

Sasuke looked at her and sighed. "Yeah…"

Sakura tightened the hold she had around Sasuke's neck unintentionally. "But you do understand why I got so pissed off because I wanted us to be together from the start to the end of the party, right?"

Sasuke started choking. Sakura had stressed the words 'together', 'start', and 'end' meaningfully. Sasuke could feel the killing-intent aura Sakura was radiating again. Sasuke choked out, "Y-Yes…"

Sakura smiled icily and released him from her death hold. "Good. Don't. Do. It. Again."

Sasuke nodded meekly and watch her punch holes in the ground with her feet as she stormed into her bedroom. Sasuke sighed. _Only she can make me cringe and vulnerable like this._ Sasuke shook his head and headed to Shikamaru's. Sakura calmed herself and picked up the bag that contained all she was wearing to the dance. She walked over to Ino's house, and she was mildly surprised to see everyone there. Shikamaru started leading the boys out of the house to the village, and the four girls watched until they topped the hill. Ino snapped her fingers too get the others' attention. "Right! Since we have a while until we get to the dance, let's prepare ourselves, ne? Sorai went home early to prepare herself."

Sakura intervened, "You don't have to worry about the boys wearing casual clothing. Sasuke assured me they were going to change there."

However, Sakura recalled the hesitation in Sasuke's voice as he reassured her. The pink-haired kunoichi brushed it from her mind and smiled. "Well, let's start!"  
They each took turns to change in the bathroom. After they were in their dresses, Ino insisted to put make-up on everyone. Tenten cringed, but she relented in the end. At 6:30, the girls were ready, and already there. As they stepped into the building where the dance was held, the boys felt the bad aura radiating off the girls. Sasuke hissed, "I knew this was a bad idea!"

Shikamaru shrunk away from Ino's death glare. Hinata looked disappointed, but the other three girls were completely furious. Sasuke, Neji, and Shikamaru felt like they were suffocating in the killing-intent chakra. Each of the girls stormed over to her partner. Ino snarled out viciously, "What the hell do you think you're doing, Nara Shikamaru?"

He offered an excuse, "We…forgot our clothes at home?"

Sakura prodded Sasuke in the chest. "Uchiha Sasuke! What are you doing?"  
Sasuke pointed to Shikamaru weakly. "His fault…not mine…he…blackmailed us!"  
Tenten glared at Neji, who stared back at her blankly. "Explanation, Hyuuga?"

Neji told her truthfully, "I didn't want to wear formal clothes."

All the other boys crept away quietly. They didn't really feel like dying anytime soon. Sakura's face changed from fury to disappointment. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she whimpered, "Sasuke-kun…I didn't think you would disappoint and shame me like this…"

Sasuke felt extremely guilty. He held out his hands to her, asking for her forgiveness silently. He was about to put a hand on her shoulder when she recoiled, hissing, "Don't touch me, Sasuke! I hate you!"

Sasuke was stunned. He didn't think Sakura would react so strongly to how he acted. Sasuke said softly, "You don't mean that…do you?"

Sakura ran off, tears streaming down her face. Hinata saw her, and she followed Sakura quickly. Ino and Tenten threw a look of contempt to their partners, and they left to follow Sakura as well. Sasuke walked up to Shikamaru, fury evident on his face. He snapped, "Great going, Shikamaru, supposedly the greatest genius of all time. You're such a genius!"

Neji turned his blank eyes on Sasuke. "Careful, Uchiha. You agreed on your own free will."  
Sasuke snarled, "I didn't think it would end up like this!"

His sharp eyes caught a flash of pink, and he turned his eyes towards the sight. There was Sakura, on the other side of the room. She had cleaned herself up, and she looked much happier and composed. Sasuke narrowed his eyes…_Who's that guy she's talking to…and laughing with? How dare he…! _Sasuke stormed over to the man Sakura was with. He glared at the man, but Sakura asked coolly, "What's wrong with you, Sasuke?"

Sasuke flinched. He didn't like the way Sakura said his name without the suffix attached to it. Sasuke asked, "Aren't you supposed to be my partner, Sakura?"

Sakura cast a disdainful eye over his clothes. "Forget it, Sasuke."

She turned back to the man, leaving a fuming and hurt Sasuke. He had never been rejected, and he didn't like the feeling. Sasuke hissed under his breath, "Fine! Two can play at a game!"

Sakura watched Sasuke leave out of the corner of her eyes. What she was doing was tearing her heart apart, but Sasuke need to know that he couldn't do everything he wanted. Sakura resumed flirting with the man. Ino was pulling the same tactic, but Hinata remained faithful to Naruto and taught him how to dance as she promised. Tenten was at the refreshments' table, holding a cup of juice and staring vacantly into space. Neji walked up to Tenten carefully. "Tenten?"

Tenten snapped her head up. "Neji…"

Neji's face was so full of remorse, Tenten couldn't help but sigh. She hugged Neji. "Forgiven…"

Neji hugged her back. Tenten grinned slowly. "So, Neji…are you going to dance with me, or what?"

Neji took her hand and led her on the dance floor, teasing, "No, I'm going to make you stand at the side for the whole time!"

As a slow song started, Neji couldn't keep his eyes off Tenten's face. Tenten blushed, and she smiled slyly. Neji captured her lips with his own once again, feeling the most content he felt in his whole life. Shikamaru watched Ino from afar. He jumped when suddenly, Temari appeared next to him. Temari scoffed loftily, "I see you lost your woman."

Shikamaru flinched. "Where did you come from? How did you know?"

Temari grinned. "Well, my brothers are away on a mission, and I thought I might as well take a break, you know? And the way you're looking at that blonde what's-her-name, it's quite obvious."  
Shikamaru sighed. "I screwed up…"

Temari grabbed his hand and led him on the dance floor. "Well, I came here looking for a partner, and I found one. Maybe a dance will cheer you up!"

Temari steered Shikamaru firmly throughout the whole dance, but he didn't mind. He was perfectly fine with brooding while Temari decided how to dance. Hinata flinched as Naruto stepped on her foot. "Ouch, Naruto…"

Naruto bit his lip. "Gomen, Hinata-chan! Dancing is harder than mastering the Rasengan!"

Hinata smiled slightly, and she was about to open her mouth, when a smoke bomb landed in the center of the dance floor. Hinata pulled Naruto down, shouting, "Duck!"

Those whose reflexes weren't as good as the ninjas' yelled with surprise as the explosion knocked them down. The ninjas' thoughts were simultaneous. _An attack! But who?_ As the smoke cleared, everyone got up hesitantly. The Leaf ninjas and Temari got together, and Neji immediately asked, "Where's Tenten?"

He took a quick count of the present ninjas. Neji hissed, "Damn it! Tenten, Sakura, Naruto, Ino, and Chouji are gone!"  
Sasuke paled and looked around at the small group for a flash of pink. He found none and cursed. "Shit! Where's Sakura?"  
Shikamaru looked around. No damage was done to the building, and it was empty because the dancers fled with fear. He said, "We have to get out of here…let's get back to the houses. We have to plan something."

As the remaining ninjas grouped inside Shikamaru's house, they started devising a plan that would hopefully retrieve their comrades before the night was over.

* * *

AN: Sorry if this is really fast-paced! I don't like slow-paced fics as much as fast-paced…oh well! And now you see how Temari comes in, ne? And I'm considering mainly ShikamaruIno, but with a little bit of ShikamaruTemari. There'll be another dance scene since this one was so short. Hope you enjoyed! Lots of important events coming up for me, so I won't be able to update for a while. I'll try, though! And thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed my story! Your support helps me a lot! 


	10. Day 9: Monday

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

* * *

**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Day 9: Monday**

Sasuke woke up, feeling oddly empty. He looked to his right, where Sakura usually laid and sighed painfully as he remembered what had happened the night before. _Before she was taken, I didn't even tell her I was sorry or anything…_Sasuke snarled. _I'll make them pay…_Sasuke slid out of bed and disappeared into the bathroom for a few minutes before heading towards Shikamaru's. As he knocked on the door, Temari opened it and let him in silently. A few minutes later, Lee arrived, and Shikamaru started talking. "Last night, we came up with a few plans to put into action. Now is the time to decide what to do."

Hinata poked her index fingers together nervously. She was very worried about Naruto. _N-Naruto-kun can t-take care of h-himself…_She tried to comfort herself with that thought, but it wasn't really working. Kiba noticed Hinata's discomfort. "Hey, Hinata-chan, don't worry!"

Lee added, "Naruto will be able to take care of himself!"

Kiba scowled at this, but Hinata gave him a shy smile. Shikamaru continued, "We'll split up and look around in the village. Keep a low profile. Neji, Sasuke, ask the ports if any ships have set sail, and if they have, ask to look at the passenger list."

Sasuke scowled at having to work with the Hyuuga prodigy. Neji looked indignant, but Shikamaru cut in, "If you want to see Sakura and Tenten again…"

Sasuke shot back, "Who said I wanted to see Sakura again?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. Sasuke cringed inwardly. _Oh, yeah, good idea, Sasuke, why don't you act like a child when Sakura's gone. That proves you're weak…smart._ Sasuke spun around and stalked out the door in a foul mood. Neji followed after muttering, "I hope you know what you're doing, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru sighed. "How troublesome. Now I have to save my best pal, Chouji. Oh, and Ino, too."  
Shikamaru thought of the blonde and couldn't help but feel a little worried. "I know Chouji can take care of himself, but Ino…"

Lee interrupted, "I feel sorry for whoever kidnapped our fellow comrades. I mean, who in the right mind would kidnap Tenten, the weapons master?"

The remaining ninjas chuckled, and the tension in the air lessened. After the laughter subsided, Lee added, "And Naruto? Kyuubi power."

Everyone smiled. Shikamaru slapped Lee on the back. "Right! Now let's get going."

The rest split up and headed to different parts of the island. Meanwhile, the five captured ninjas started to reawaken somewhere on the island. Naruto was the first to wake up. He blinked and nudged Sakura awake. He whispered, "What are we doing here?"

Sakura blinked. "Where are we?"

Naruto replied, "I dunno."

Sakura shook herself awake. "Uh…okay…"

Tenten sat up and immediately grasped her kunai. She sawed through the ropes and snarled, "Whoever kidnapped us were really stupid to let us keep our weapons and tie us with rope. We're ninjas, damn it! Don't underestimate us!"

Sakura sweatdropped. "Okay..."

Tenten cut through all the ropes, all the while muttering under the breath. Ino and Chouji woke up a few minutes later. Chouji grumbled, "I'm hungry…"

Ino sighed. "I must look like a mess."

Tenten, Sakura, and Naruto were exploring the room around them. Tenten spoke aloud, "So ten paces from wall to wall, there's a heavy oak door, and no windows. The walls are made of wood."

Ino sighed again. "We'll be stuck in here forever unless someone comes…"

She smiled dreamily. _Someone like Shikamaru…a knight in shining armor saving the-_ Sakura cut in through her daydream. "Ino-pig!"

Ino scowled. _A knight in shining armor saving the Ino-pig? What?_ She replied, "What, forehead-girl?"

Sakura was testing the door. "Get up and help! You too, Chouji!"

Tenten held up a hand for silence. "I hear voices. Okay, you guys, this is the plan. We'll crouch down here, and pounce once they open the door. Maybe we can escape."

The others nodded and crouched near the ground. The door opened, and Naruto shouted, "Iruka-sensei? What are you doing here?"

The man in question smiled ruefully. "I guess I owe you guys an explanation."

Naruto nodded furiously. Iruka-sensei continued, "The senseis knew that you guys would probably forget to train during your vacation, so they assigned me and another ninja to test you guys. Of course, we decided to take a select few of you, and the others will have to use their wits to save you. While you're in our care, you'll come to no harm, of course, but we'll have to train you anyway."

Naruto was grinning widely. "Haha, that's a really good prank!"

Sakura looked troubled, however. "Well, the others will be really worried about us. Especially Hinata…she's going to be worried out of her mind."

Sasuke's face flashed in Sakura's mind briefly, and she swallowed guiltily. _I didn't even say sorry to him or anything before we got taken…_Ino snorted. "Well, Shikamaru will have to work, so it's not that bad."

Tenten piped up, "Neji won't worry so much. He knows I can take care of myself."

Sakura bit her lip. She felt sorry for Hinata and Sasuke. "Well, I guess it'll be okay…"

Iruka-sensei beamed. "Well, you guys might want to use Henge no Jutsu when you go out."

Sakura nodded. Iruka-sensei continued, "And change your names."

A slow smile spread across Ino's face. She laughed, "This will be so fun…"

Sakura smiled slightly. Iruka-sensei left them. Sakura looked around. "Oh. We were in the basement of a house."

After each of them had taken a shower, Ino suggested, "Let's go out."

The five nodded and clasped their hands together in a seal. Simultaneously, they shouted, "Henge!"

In a cloud of smoke, the five altered their looks. Tenten smiled and nodded. "Let's go out then."

Chouji spotted a bag of chips on the table. He immediately released the jutsu and snatched the bag. "Never mind, you guys go. I'll stay here."

Sakura shrugged. Ino led the way out, and Iruka-sensei warned them to be careful. They split up and decided to explore on their own. Sakura was walking along the road, feeling guilty for Hinata and Sasuke when, suddenly, she spotted Sasuke himself. The expression on his face was grim, and she realized he was heading towards the port. Curious, she followed him. Sakura had a little trouble keeping up with Sasuke's speed in her new body, but she managed. Soon, Sakura stayed a few feet behind Sasuke, pretending to look up prices for a ship. She heard him ask harshly, "Have you seen these people?"

She threw a glance towards him and saw pictures of the missing ninjas. The person at the desk shook his head. "No, sorry."

Sasuke held up the picture of Sakura. "How about her? Have you seen her anytime today?"

Sakura's heart skipped a beat as she realized he asked the man for her specifically. _He…he didn't do it for anyone else…_Sasuke paused, and then he put the picture away. He informed the man, "If you do see her, tell her that Uchiha Sasuke is sorry."

Sakura felt tears sting her eyes. _He's…he's sorry…_Sasuke spun around abruptly and headed to the next port. Sakura followed, still numb about Sasuke's actions. Sasuke repeated the process, again holding up the Sakura's picture specifically and relaying his message to the man at the desk. After the fourth port, Sasuke took a rest on the beach. Sakura hid behind a rock nearby. Suddenly, Sasuke said, "You can come out, whoever you are."

Sakura gulped. _I suppose my ninja skills aren't that great in this body._ She walked out, hoping that her chakra was concealed. Sasuke glared at her. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

Sakura decided to play the fangirl part. She fluttered her eyelashes. "Oh, Sasuke-kun, I couldn't help but-"

Sasuke waved her away. "Go away. I'm busy."

Sakura scrambled away quickly, thanking Kami-sama that Sasuke didn't notice her blunder, but suddenly heard Sasuke exclaim, "Sakura!"

She spun around, wondering if her disguise failed, but she saw herself. _Someone else in Henge no Jutsu? In the form of my body?._ Sakura grounded her teeth together. Whoever was disguising as herself sure was good at concealing his or her chakra. Sakura identified the chakra as her own. Suddenly, the imposter Sakura winked past Sasuke at Sakura in Henge no Jutsu. Suddenly, the pink-haired kunoichi understood. It was part of the test. Sasuke strode up to the imposter purposefully. Sakura thought she detected a trace of concern in Sasuke's voice, but she could have imagined it. "Sakura! Where were you? Where are the others? Are you harmed?"

Imposter Sakura looked up. "Sasuke-kun…"

She reached into her kunai holster discreetly so Sasuke wouldn't see. "I'm fine…the people who took us were inexperienced. But the others and I got split up…"

Sasuke took a step forward to embrace the imposter Sakura, but a panicked look flitted across her face before she held up the kunai behind his back as he crushed Sakura in a hug. Suddenly, she attempted to plunge the kunai in his back. Sasuke leapt out of the way easily, but cursed. _Shit! I let my concern blind me! This isn't Sakura!_ He whipped out a few shurikens and threw them at the imposter in quick succession. Sakura almost forgot to hold her jutsu as she watched the imposter dodge them easily. _I'm not that skilled!_ Sasuke hissed, "Who are you? Where's Sakura?"

The imposter replied evenly, "It's none of your concern. She's safe, though."

Sasuke snarled, "What do you want with the ninjas?"

The imposter merely smirked as she threw a kunai at Sasuke's head. Sasuke caught it and growled, "You underestimate Konoha ninjas."

His opponent didn't bother to reply. She threw four shurikens at him and lunged after them. Sasuke jumped aside to avoid the shurikens, but he didn't see the imposter's kunai in her left hand. He grunted as he felt the kunai graze his side. Suddenly, the imposter lost balance. "Whoa!"

She fell face-first into the sand. Sasuke smirked. "Not used to Sakura's body?"

He flicked a shuriken idly at the prostrate imposter, but she rolled to the side and sped off. Sasuke gave chase, but the imposter put on a burst of speed and managed to loose Sasuke. He stood, panting heavily. _Who the hell was that person?_ He looked up. It was already early evening. _Time to head back…_Sasuke trudged back to the three houses wearily. Shikamaru and Lee were already back. They were sitting in front of the middle house. Shikamaru waved lazily. "Did you find anything interesting?"

Sasuke relayed the day's events. Shikamaru informed Sasuke of his day. "I found a little bit of information. Two of the villagers recall seeing five figures hunched over five others. In other words, the five who took our comrades were carrying them to their hideout. The villagers don't know where they went, though."

Lee shook his head. "Nothing to report here."

Shikamaru sighed. "Our best bet is to just stay here and wait for the others to return."

Lee nodded, but Sasuke didn't agree. "Why not keep searching?"

Shikamaru shook his head. "We need to plan."

Sasuke sat down on the ground and leaned his head against the house wall. Soon, Neji arrived, looking pissed. He snapped, "From the information gathered from a ferryman on the southern part of this island, a girl with brown buns, a pink-headed kunoichi, a blonde, a fat ass, and a hyper blonde took a ferry to the mainland."

Shikamaru raised his eyebrow at the name the ferryman called Chouji. "Well, that doesn't make sense. The villagers said they saw them heading to the center of the island…"

Sasuke broke in, "Well, it could always be that the captors are tricking us."

Shikamaru nodded. "Exactly. I think they bribed the ferryman. How can you bribe so many villagers to lead a false trail? All we can do is assume in this situation."

Neji and Lee nodded. "Sounds practical."

Soon, Kiba appeared as well. He looked confused. "Well, I used my nose, and the trail lead towards the center of the island, and then stopped, and the other trail lead to this one ferry place."

Everyone else arrived, offering bits and pieces of information they picked up. After all the information, Shikamaru concluded, "Then, they are at some house in the village."

Sasuke recalled the girl he encountered before facing the imposter. He shrugged it off and listened closely. "Right now, since it's night, we might be a little more lucky. Start from the outskirts of the village and start from there. Head towards the center. Got it? Move!"

The rest leapt away into the darkness. Meanwhile, the captured were enjoying themselves inside the house they were imprisoned in. Everyone seemed to having a great time, eating and joking, but Sakura couldn't help but feel guilty about Hinata and Sasuke. _Don't worry…Sasuke-kun isn't that worried…_Sakura's face twisted wistfully. Ino noticed and teased, "Ooh, Sakura's homesick…"

Sakura shot back, "I am not!"  
Naruto leaned back. "Yearning for someone, then?"

Sakura flushed, embarrassed. "No!'

Tenten butted in, "Sasuke?"

Sakura's head shot up. "Where?"

The other four laughed. Sakura lowered her eyes and felt her cheeks burn. Naruto threw a friend arm around her shoulders. "Hey! Don't be embarrassed. I know how you feel, I kinda miss Hinata."

Tenten bit her lip and masked her emotion perfectly by putting up a cheerful face. "I'm sure we all miss our loved ones, but aren't you guys hungry? Iruka-sensei bought this for us, you know."

Naruto dug in enthusiastically, and soon he and Chouji were fighting over food. Ino and Tenten conversed happily, but all Sakura could do was pick at her food. Sakura sighed and pushed her food away. "I'm going to go out on the balcony really fast."

Ino called after her, "Want some company?"

Sakura shook her head and smiled her thanks. Tenten added, "Don't forget! Henge!"

Sakura performed the jutsu and put her elbows on top of the railing. She stared at the stars sadly. _Sasuke-kun…I miss you…_Sakura started as a dark figure landed next to her. She took a step back. The figure suddenly spoke, "You have green eyes."

Sakura froze. _Oh SHIT! Didn't I change my whole appearance?_ Sakura blinked and smiled nervously. "Yes…I guess I do…"

The figure stepped into a little pool of light. Sakura bit back a gasp. _Sasuke-kun! This is bad…bad, bad, bad_. Sasuke stared at her. "You look a lot like someone I know."  
Sakura hissed in dismay. She didn't think she'd be recognized, so her transformation wasn't very different. _I didn't think I'd encounter any of them!_ Sakura stammered, "That's r-really nice…I-I have t-to g-go now…"

Sasuke grabbed her arm, and Sakura jumped in surprise. His eyes narrowed. "Your hair style is the same as my friend's. Your eyes are the same."

Sakura tried to pull her arm away. "What happened t-to your friend?"

Sasuke tightened his grip. "She was kidnapped."

Sakura smirked inwardly. _I might as well have some fun._ "Why do you care?"

Sasuke paused. _What the hell, she won't know who that girl is anyway. And she doesn't know me either._ "Because she's important to me."

Sakura raised an eyebrow. "She's important to you?"

Sasuke merely grunted. Sakura shrugged. "Well, I do hope you find your friend…before it's too late or something."

Sakura muffled her yelp as Sasuke crushed her arm. "Don't say that."

His eyes were blazing, and Sakura was intimidated. "G-Gomen…"

He hissed, "I'll find her if I have to tear this world apart. I'll find her. I'll always be there for her."

Sakura's heart nearly stopped as he continued. "I will be there to catch her when she falls."

With that, he threw her a look of disgust and stalked off. Sakura grabbed the railing to support her jelly-turned knees. _He…he…_A tear slid down her cheek. _He…Sa…Sa…Sasuke…Sasuke-kun…_Sakura blinked, desperately trying not to cry. Suddenly, Sakura felt Ino's hand on her shoulder. She whispered, "I saw all that."

Sakura trembled. Ino took a breath. "And it was really touching. I didn't know he was like that."

Sakura sniffed. "Neither did I. I really miss him, Ino!"

Ino patted Sakura's back. "I miss Shikamaru. But we'll be able to go back once they rescue us, right?"

Sakura nodded. The two friends headed back into the house. Iruka-sensei showed them the rooms, and soon, within moments, they were asleep. Sakura murmured Sasuke's name before falling asleep. Sasuke sped through the village, keeping his eyes open for any signs of life. So far, he had only encountered the girl on the balcony, and that had left him unnerved. Sasuke shook his head vigorously as he landed easily in front of Shikamaru's house. Sasuke shrugged. "I only encountered some girl."

Shikamaru sighed. "Not interested. Go to sleep, Uchiha. We have a long day tomorrow."

Sasuke felt Shikamaru pat him and surprisingly he didn't shrug it off. Sasuke dragged his feet to his room and fell into his bed. He breathed in the scent of Sakura deeply, and it helped him calm down a little. Sasuke rolled over and fell asleep.

* * *

AN: Yes, yes, I know it's been a while since I've updated. Sorry! And wow, thanks you guys, I have 101 reviews! Your reviews motivate me to write! Anyway…this chapter was weird…Fluff coming up in the next chapter! Maybe. 


	11. Day 10: Tuesday

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

* * *

**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Day 10: Tuesday**

Sakura awoke groggily and reluctantly to Ino's shaking. Ino hissed, "Sakura…Sakura, wake up!"

She rolled away from the offending blonde and muttered, "A few more minutes…I don't want to get up and face the day without Sasuke-kun yet…"

Ino hissed urgently, "No, Sakura, it seems like Neji found this place. We have to leave, now!"  
Sakura bolted upright. "Why didn't you say so?"

Ino rolled her eyes as Sakura bounded around the room, grabbing some clothing and stuffing them in a bag. "Iruka-sensei said we should just grab a few articles of clothing and get out of here. We'll come back, and this place will be safe."

Sakura nodded. Ino continued, "Naruto's going to create some bunshin and make them use Henge. He'll direct them away from us, and maybe that'll throw off the others."

Sakura pulled the strings on her duffel bag to close the bag. "All ready! What about you?"

Ino gestured to a neat duffel bag next to her. "Done. Let's go, we don't want to keep them waiting!"  
The two rushed down the stairs and met the others at the bottom. Naruto hoisted his backpack on his shoulder. "Let's go!"  
Iruka-sensei led them out of the house after Naruto had created a diversion. The sensei whispered and gestured with his hands, "We'll be moving to another house. She's a friend of mine."

Tenten replied impatiently, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go already!"

The ninjas sped off after performing Henge no Jutsu. However, five minutes after their departure, a shuriken landed next to Iruka-sensei's head. Sakura's eyes widened. "They know it's us?"

Naruto cursed. "Kuso! They must've seen us use Henge. Come on, we'll have to split up!"  
Iruka-sensei leapt ahead. "I'll get the place ready. Good luck!"  
Sakura shouted, "Do we have to keep up the jutsu?"

Naruto replied, "It's best to. If one of us gets caught, they'll ask why we were in Henge. However, let's keep it for now, and maybe they won't question."

Tenten glanced back at Neji. She was extremely tempted to stop and just feel the Hyuuga for a split moment, but she kept her emotions in check. Chouji started breathing laboriously and fell behind a little. Tenten sighed. "Chouji, hurry!"

He panted, "Too…fast…can't make it…"

Tenten sighed with frustration and leapt back to Chouji. She grabbed his scarf and pulled. "Let's go, Chouji!"

She dragged Chouji until he was level with the others. Tenten took another glance at Neji. She could see the expression of determination in his face. The look caused her to falter in her step, but Naruto gave her a shove. "Let's go, Tenten! You can cuddle with Neji later!"

Tenten blushed and punched Naruto. "Shut up, Naruto!"

Suddenly Ino tripped on a protruding branch. She fell with a scream, and the others paused momentarily. Sakura rushed back, but Naruto grabbed her arm. "Let's go! We can't lose time!"  
Sakura could see Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Neji a few trees away, headed right towards them. Naruto cursed again and used Henge to transform into a random middle-aged ninja. He grabbed Sakura's arm and yelled gruffly, "Let's go, little girl!"  
Sakura hissed, "What are you doing, Na-!"

Naruto winked and murmured, "Just play along."

Sakura put up a false struggle but allowed Naruto to lead her away after glancing at Sasuke and yelling, "Sasuke-kun!"  
Sasuke called, "No, wait! Sakura!"

Soon, the two ninjas were gone from view. Sasuke hissed with anger and splintered a tree with a furious punch. Neji was staring at the direction Tenten and the others took. He kept his impassive mask, but every so often, his mouth would twitch with annoyance. Ino sat on the branch, nursing a sprained ankle. Shikamaru glanced down at the blonde and picked Ino up easily. He sighed, "How troublesome…at least we've got one back."  
Ino smiled regretfully. _I nearly screwed everything up. Well…I'm not done yet._ Shikamaru questioned the blonde, "Where were you guys? What happened? Where were you going? What was up with the clones?"

Ino smiled sweetly. _I can just give them false information. After all, we are testing them._ "We were safe, Shika-kun, but the mean, nasty, old, ugly ninjas who took us threatened to hurt the others if we didn't obey him. We were in some house, but I don't know where exactly, and I don't know where he was going to take us."

Shikamaru turned to the others. "Well, let's head back. Ino knows a lot already, so we can plan from there."

Sasuke gave once last glance at the direction Sakura headed off to before following Shikamaru and Neji. Shikamaru asked, "How many ninjas were there? What's their strength? Do you feel okay? Did they abuse you? What were their plans?"

Ino was smiling secretively with glee. _I'm going to have some fun!_ Ino replied, "There were around four ninjas, and they were so strong! We tried attacking one of them, but he just threw us off like sacks of grain! I'm fine, no, they didn't abuse us besides the nasty food, and I didn't hear their plan."

Shikamaru bit his lip. "If they're that good, then they must be jounin. And you said four? So, there were four jounin, I assume. That's going to be hard. It's not like we can't do it though, since we have Neji and Sasuke."

Ino buried her face in Shikamaru's chest so he wouldn't see her wide grin. Soon, Ino and the others arrived at the three houses. As Shikamaru set her girl down, Ino put a cool finger under Shikamaru's chin. "You look tired, Shika-kun. What's the matter?"

Shikamaru smiled wearily. "Just worried about you. And everyone else."

He added the afterthought after pausing for a moment. Ino smiled softly. "Well, I assure you, those ninjas won't hurt us. They need us for something, so lighten up!"

Shikamaru nudged Ino towards Sasuke. "That Uchiha needs lightening up. He's had that don't-annoy-me-or-I'll-kill-you face ever since Sakura left."

Ino smiled brightly. "Maybe I should go cheer him up?"

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow. "Hello, Ino, did you not hear me? Sasuke is wearing his don't-annoy-me-or-"

Ino interrupted him, "I know! But I'll try. He won't dare kill me if he wants to know what I have to say about Sakura."

Shikamaru reluctantly let her go, and Ino made her way to the sullen raven-haired boy. Ino smiled. "Ohayo, Sasuke!"

Sasuke glared at her. "What do you want?"

Ino raised an eyebrow. "I'm fine, thanks. That's not the point, though. I've come to talk to you about Sakura."

Sasuke turned away. "I don't care. Leave me alone."

Ino lost her temper and whapped Sasuke on the back of his head with her palm. "Listen, you big, whiny child. Sakura is fine, and I bet she's not moping all over the place like you are!"  
Sasuke glared at her. Nobody dared hit an Uchiha, but Ino just did. He spat out, "So?"

Ino scoffed, "So? So grow up! Make use of yourself! Sakura is safe and fine! She'd probably laugh at you if she saw you now."  
Sasuke looked so forlorn, Ino sighed. "Listen…Uchiha…I'll take you to Sakura tonight…you're way too depressed for your own good."

Sasuke's face became lighter. "Are you sure…?"  
Ino nodded. "Don't worry. It's not a trap. And I know Sakura wants to see you. She didn't look very healthy."

Sasuke nodded, lost in the prospect of seeing Sakura again. Ino laughed softly. "Tonight at midnight!"

She waved and walked back to Shikamaru without another word to Sasuke. Ino informed Shikamaru, "I'm going to town to buy a few things. I'll be back around one or two."

Shikamaru nodded and gave Ino a quick hug. "Be careful."

Ino smiled reassuringly and sauntered away. Once she was out of sight, Ino dashed towards the house the captured ninjas were headed to. _It shouldn't be that hard to find._ Ino halted at the place where she tripped. She absent-mindedly scuffed the toe of her shoe along the thick branch. _I hope someone will come here or something. Cuz I don't know any farther from here._ Conveniently, Naruto appeared a few minutes later. He grinned and asked, "So, you came back? Couldn't resist Iruka-sensei's cooking, ne?"

Ino shook her head. "No…is it okay if I stay with Shikamaru and the others? I kind of miss them."

Naruto faltered but nodded. Ino reassured him, "I'll give them false information. Nothing will be given away."

Naruto smiled, convinced. "Okay! Well, I better get going."

Ino grabbed his arm. "Chotto matte…could you tell Sakura to meet me in the park at midnight? Tell her I have a surprise for her."

Naruto smiled widely. "Sure! Ja!"  
He leapt off as Ino did in the opposite direction. The blonde girl smiled to herself. _Sasuke will be able to meet Sakura tonight. Wonderful! Those two looked really miserable._ Ino smiled to herself but started to contemplate deeply about the outcome. _Sasuke will obviously try to take Sakura back, so I'll get Sakura to tell him that someone is watching her for any false moves. If he sees through the bluff, I'll use Henge no Jutsu and reinforce the bluff. Hopefully, that'll be enough, because I surely can't fight Sasuke._ Ino decided to take a little break in the small village, so for two hours, she enjoyed herself. When the kunoichi headed back to the three houses, she headed into her old home and prepared a quick dinner. After Ino set up the table, she left the house and arrived at Sasuke's. Ino informed the Uchiha, "Midnight. Come to my house, and I'll lead you there."

Sasuke nodded mutely. Ino waved and headed back into her house to find Shikamaru picking at his food. Ino crept up from behind and encircled his neck with her arms. "What's the matter?"

Shikamaru sighed. "So troublesome…is Chouji alright?"

Ino smiled. "Of course! Nobody was harmed in any way!"

Shikamaru nodded. "That's reassuring…but I can't help but feel worried."

Ino patted his back. "I tell you, they're fine! Let's eat!"

The two finished their meal in silence, and Ino could tell that Shikamaru was worried. She decided to leave the genius alone and sought out Hinata next door. Ino embraced the Hyuuga. "Ohayo, Hinata!"

Hinata smiled slightly. "Ohayo, Ino."

Ino released the girl and smiled as well. "How's it going?"

Hinata's smile disappeared momentarily. "O-oh…okay, I suppose…"

Ino raised an eyebrow. "Is this about Naruto?"

Hinata remained silent but nodded. Ino grinned. "That boy is fine! Everyone's okay!"

When Hinata raised her white eyes and offered a small smile, Ino muttered, "Geez, why are they getting so worked up…we're not weak…kind of."

Hinata whispered, "I can't help but d-dream about Naruto-kun sometimes…And w-wonder if he's okay…"

Ino patted her sympathetically. "He can take care of himself. Don't worry about it!"

Hinata nodded. "Yes, I guess so…"

Ino peered inside the house. "Mind if I come in?"

Hinata quickly stepped aside. "Oh no, sorry for not inviting you…"

Ino waved the apology aside and sat down on one of the sofas. "Mm…your house is very neat."

Hinata made some tea and smiled. "Y-Yes…"

Ino accepted the tea with thanks. She sipped it while looking around. "The kunoichi should go out together sometime. Just a day to chill or something."

Hinata sat down with a cup in both her hands. She stared at it nervously. "That w-would be nice."

Ino laid back. "I saw a flier in the village that advertised a spring in the mountains. We should go there sometime."

Hinata agreed. "A good idea…what about the others?"

"The guys? Hmm…I guess they could come, providing they don't peek."

Hinata added, "And we s-should have a-another dance m-maybe?"

Ino brightened. "Sure! Since the last one was ruined. And the guys better wear something nice."

Her face darkened, and the two lapsed into silence. Ino checked the time. _9:00. I should get going soon_. Ino placed the cup gently into the sink and smiled warmly at Hinata. "Thanks for the tea and all, but I gotta run. See ya!"

Hinata smiled and waved as Ino exited the house and headed to Sasuke's. Ino knocked softly and grimaced. _It's silent in there…_Sasuke opened the door wordlessly, dressed in traveling attire. Ino motioned quietly, "I know it's not midnight, but I thought we might as well get a head start."

Sasuke nodded silently and followed Ino to the village. The entire way there was completely silent. Ino attempted to strike up a conversation, but Sasuke merely replied with an 'hn'. Soon, she gave up, and they arrived at the park in half an hour. Ino checked the time. _10:00. Still two hours early._ She led Sasuke into the park through the arch that marked the entrance. Ino sat down on the swing and shivered in the night air. She informed Sasuke, "Sakura should be around in two hours. Look around here, but don't stray far. When Sakura comes, no doubt there'll be someone with her."

Sasuke replied, "Then why don't we just take Sakura with us?"

Ino chose her words carefully. "Obviously, one of those ninjas will be escorting her…but we won't see him. We can't fight him, he's too strong. Maybe next time."

Ino gasped as Sasuke slammed her into a tree and snarled, "It's very well for you to leave Sakura here, but I will not! Through my carelessness, Sakura was taken, and I'll make the one who took her pay dearly."

Ino gagged but managed a nod. Sasuke released her and sat down. Ino nursed her neck. _Geez…vicious…I just hope Naruto or Tenten escorts Sakura. It's obvious Sasuke's going to fight one of them, and he'll beat me in no time._ Two hours later, Sasuke detected a presence and snapped his head towards it. There, shuffling slowly towards them was Sakura. Sasuke let out a soft groan as he hurried forward. Sakura lifted her face up and smiled longingly at Sasuke. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he buried his face in her hair. Sasuke murmured, "I missed you…"

Sakura pressed her face into the side of Sasuke's neck. "Same…"

Ino smiled softly at the two embracing teens. She slipped away to give them some privacy. Sakura sighed with content. "I dreamed of you every day, Sasuke-kun."

Sasuke merely grunted in reply. The kunoichi continued, "So how's everyone?"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Everyone misses the others. Especially Neji."

Sakura poked Sasuke softly. "That's not very nice, making fun of Neji like that when you act the same way."

Sasuke scowled. "I'm not acting grumpy."

Sakura merely scoffed. "Sure you aren't, Uchiha. I know a petulant child when I see one."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Petulant?"  
The kunoichi smirked and emphasized each word with a prod. "Yes, petulant. You're being selfish, Sasuke-kun."

The raven-haired Uchiha snorted. "Selfish? I only want you back."

Sakura patted his shoulder fondly. "And I want to go back."

Sasuke whispered, "What's stopping me from taking you away now? Hm?"

Sakura replied, "One of the ninjas took me here…I don't want you to get hurt, so, please…don't…"

Sasuke groaned. "I need you next to me, Sakura…"

She smiled slightly and gave him a quick squeeze. "We'll be together again sometime."

Sasuke growled softly, "It'd better be soon…"

Sakura looked up at Sasuke's onyx eyes. "It will, Sasuke-kun. But do hurry and figure something out…it's quite dull staying at the place we're at."

Sasuke released her slightly and asked, "Can you give me some information about the enemy nin so we can rescue you and the others easier?"

Sakura bit her lip. "I can't tell you much…he's watching. And I don't know where the house is, I didn't see. We were blindfolded."

Sasuke hissed in dismay. "Anything else? Like what their plan is?"

Sakura shook her head. "We're penned up in a room on the top floor. There's a balcony, and all I can see from there is a forest."

Sasuke smirked. "Forest? Easy enough. We'll have you out of there in no time."

Sakura nodded and shyly averted her gaze. "I have to go, Sasuke-kun…"

Sasuke groaned again and pressed his lips swiftly to Sakura's forehead. "Before you leave…I'm sorry for that night…"  
Sakura blushed. "It's okay. Ja, Sasuke-kun…"

She leapt away into the night. Ino returned shortly after and suppressed a grin. She asked easily, "So how'd it go?"  
Sasuke growled unhappily, "Shorter than I wanted."

Ino smiled slightly. "You'll see her again. Damn, I'd never thought I'd ever see a love-struck Uchiha, but here's one right now in front of me!"

Ino dodged the swipe Sasuke threw at her. She grinned and shook her head. "Let's go."

Sasuke glanced at the spot where Sakura was last, but he followed Ino. Ino struck up a conversation. "Did Sakura tell you anything?"  
Sasuke shook his head. "Just a little. Something about a forest. We should be able to get them back the day after tomorrow by the latest."

Ino nodded. "That's good. Nobody likes a grumpy Uchiha."

He shot the blonde a sullen look which caused Ino to giggle. "Hahaha, what you're like without your Sakura-chan! This is hilarious."  
Sasuke stepped ahead of Ino, pointedly ignoring her. Ino decided to let go before Sasuke beat her senseless. She smiled softly at the fan on Sasuke's back. _Who knew he'd fall for her like that? It kind of makes sense though._ As the two separated into their houses, Sasuke knew that he missed Sakura painfully. Sasuke flopped onto his bed forlornly and closed his eyes to images of pink sakura petals dancing in the wind.

* * *

AN: I meant to put NejiTenten in this chapter, but I forgot…next chapter will have NejiTenten! Sorry! And please excuse the grammatical errors. I suck at grammar. Well, enjoy! 


	12. Day 11: Wednesday

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

* * *

**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Day 11: Wednesday**

Neji glared at the tip of the sun, barely visible above the sea. He was frustrated at his inability to retrieve Tenten immediately. _Damn whoever took Tenten…damn my hormones!_ Neji missed Tenten terribly. He missed her attitude, her smile, her eyes, her whole being. And he was miserable without her. _She makes me feel whole…_Neji grimaced as he reflected on the past few seconds of his life. "Since when did I become love-struck?"

A quiet voice behind him replied, "Love is a powerful emotion. Reason and love don't go together."

Neji angled his head to glare at the Uchiha behind him. "Was I talking to you?"

Sasuke replied evenly, "I'd be more afraid if you weren't."

Neji scowled. "What would you know about love?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Are you that oblivious…?"

Neji snapped, "No. I know what's going on between you and Sakura."

Sasuke sighed. "We're growing harsher than usual, and it's all because of the absence of two girls."

Neji remained silent and glared at the sea. _He's right…_Sasuke shrugged. "Well, the sooner we get them, the better. I didn't come here for nothing."

Neji caught on immediately. "And since there aren't so many, this might prove to be easier…"

Sasuke smirked. "At least you live up to your title…"

Neji glanced at the sun. "We'll have a little more than three hours. We better get moving fast."

The two took off towards the village. They didn't exchange any words on the way there, so the two prodigies arrived at their destination pretty easily. Neji muttered, "Byakugan!"

Sasuke watched on with mild curiosity. They were standing on top of a rather tall building where they could see the whole village. Neji smirked. "Too easy…"

Sasuke sighed, "If only we had information sooner we could've done this."

Neji didn't reply. Instead, he leapt off towards the forest he saw a small, wooden cabin in. Sasuke paused, looking around, and followed. Neji stopped at the fringe of a forest. "In here…"

Sasuke grimaced. "Well, I don't feel chakra nearby…"

Neji smirked. "We're not close enough."

Sasuke stiffened at Neji's snide comment. However, Neji leapt into the forest. He looked back at Sasuke. "Create a diversion?"  
Sasuke scowled. "Me?"

Neji rolled his eyes. "No, the guy behind you."

Sasuke replied, "Why do I have to create the diversion?"

Neji snapped back, "Stop arguing! You don't have Byakugan, so you don't know where to go. Now, create a damn diversion!"

Sasuke knew Neji was right, but he was unhappy to follow orders from the other prodigy. Sasuke leapt off into the night silently, and Neji turned his attention back to the small cabin. He used his Byakugan and scanned the inside of the cabin. However, he didn't see any forms of chakra. Neji hissed softly. "Wrong cabin…where's Uchiha?"

Not seeing Sasuke in sight, he leapt nimbly off the tree and crept into the cabin. Neji opened the door and looked around inside the room. It was a single-room cabin; it was bare, too. A table stood at the center of the cabin, and a bed was neatly made in the corner. A few other chairs and furniture were scattered around the cabin, but Neji didn't pay any more attention. He turned around to see Sasuke glaring at him. The Hyuuga replied, "Wrong cabin."

Sasuke sneered, "Obviously. I did tell you that there was no chakra present."

Neji ignored Sasuke and leapt onto a tree skillfully. "We're going to go atop another building, and I'll use my Byakugan there."

Sasuke shrugged and followed Neji to yet another building. Neji used his Byakugan and scanned the surroundings for a full three minutes before informing Sasuke. Neji announced softly, "I think I've detected a possible source where they are kept hostage."

Without another word, the two leapt towards another forest, slightly larger this time. Neji halted at the fringes. "Byakugan."

Neji remained silent for a few seconds, then declared, "Yes, we're at the right forest this time. Watch out; there might be traps."

Sasuke scoffed softly. Neji took a tentative step into the forest. Sasuke followed Neji's every step to ensure that no traps were set off. Neji sighed softly when the cabin loomed into view from between the trees. Sasuke's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Hyuuga! The string!"

Neji looked down to see his foot resting against a string. A bead of sweat trickled down his nose. Suddenly, Sasuke hissed, "Oh, shit!"

The Uchiha had felt something prick the back of his neck, and his first thought was that a ninja had pressed the tip of a kunai at the back of his neck. Sasuke whipped around to deal the offending nin a blow, but realized it was an insect that had bitten the back of his neck. By whirling around suddenly, Sasuke lost his balance and toppled into Neji, who, in turn, fell over the string. As Neji fell, his last thought before he was barraged by kunai was, _I am going to kill Uchiha._ Neji watched the kunai fly at him and activated his Byakugan immediately. With practiced ease, he dodged them without getting hurt. Neji spotted a kunai cutting another string, and he dodged the hail of shuriken in response. Meanwhile, Sasuke had a kunai out, and he was deflecting the kunai that threatened to hit him. After ten minutes of dodging and deflecting, the wearied prodigies collapsed, glad that no more weapons threatened to fly at them. Once Neji regained his breath, he pointed out, "The only reason I didn't get hit by any of those projectiles was because I recognized it."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow as Neji paused to take a breath. "I recognized it from my training. Tenten used it against me once. She set up the weapons just like this."

Sasuke sat up slowly. "You mean Tenten set those up?"

Neji nodded. "Either she was forced to, or she did it on her own free will."

Sasuke smirked. "So you're saying they're staying there on their own free will."

Neji nodded again. Sasuke continued, "But why would she set them up against you if she wanted you to save her?"

Neji replied, "That's another thing. Tenten isn't one who needs saving, and she would've gotten out of her captor's grasp by now."

Sasuke nodded slowly. "So they are staying there on their own free will."

Neji asked, "But why?"

For a moment, both of them paused, deep in thought. Sasuke slowly said, "Remember what we did on the night of the dance?"  
Neji cringed inwardly. "Oh…yeah…we wore casual clothing, you mean?"

Sasuke nodded bitterly. "Maybe that's why they're staying there; to get revenge."

Neji stood up and shrugged. Sasuke stood up and brushed himself off. The two crept up to the cabin after Neji hissed a warning dripping with scorn. "Don't think that a bug-bite is the enemy nin with a kunai."

Sasuke chose to pretend he didn't hear the warning. Neji activated his Byakugan and smirked. "I see them inside, and guess what they're doing?"

Sasuke paused. "Eating?"

"Nope."  
"Reading?"

"Nope."

"Training?"

"Nope."

"Drinking?"

"Nope."

"Talking?"

"Nope."

"Sleeping?"

"Nope."

"Surfing the net?"

"…We don't have internet in this world, dumbass."

"Oh, yeah. What the hell are they doing, then?"

"They're playing a game."

"What game?"

"Truth or dare."

"…Nice."

The two boys pressed their ears against the wall to listen, their curiosity taking over their movements and functions. They heard…

Tenten: Okay! Sakura, truth or dare?

Sakura: Ummm…dare!

Tenten: I dare you to storm into Iruka-sensei's room screaming your head off!

Sakura: You bet!

(silence)

(screaming)

(yelling)

Sakura: Ha! That scared Iruka-sensei.

(laughing)

Sakura: Chouji! Truth or dare?

Chouji: Mmm...truth…

Here, the boys decided that they had enough of the girls' game, and they crept away slowly. Neji murmured, "We'll charge into the room."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "And then?"

Neji bit his lip. "Let's just stop there, and we'll act on impulse."

Sasuke's eyes widened slightly. Had Hyuuga Neji lost his mind? Possibly. Anyway…Sasuke readied himself as Neji counted, "One….two...three!"

The two charged into the room, yelling their heads off just like Sakura did not too long ago. The girls and Chouji turned to look at Neji and Sasuke, who had activated their bloodline limits. After a moment of silence, Naruto yelled, "Oh my God! They found us!"

The 'captives' scrambled upstairs with Neji and Sasuke after them. Sakura yelled, "Iruka-sensei, they found us!"

Iruka-sensei came running down the wood stairs. "Nani?"

He saw Neji and Sasuke chasing the 'captives' around the room, over the sofa, under the table, and around him in circles. The poor teacher shut his eyes and yelled, "Stop!"

Surprisingly, everyone did so, and Iruka-sensei took advantage of the silence. "Okay! What are you two doing here?"

Sasuke scoffed, "We're here to bring them back, of course!"  
Neji replied, "We know your ruse."

Iruka-sensei smiled ruefully. "Well, yes. It was for training. I guess they can go home now."

Sakura smiled widely. "Really, sensei? You mean it?"

Iruka-sensei smiled and nodded. Sakura squealed and latched onto Sasuke while the Uchiha struggled vainly. "Sasuke-kun! I can go home now!"

Tenten smiled shyly at Neji. The Hyuuga sighed inaudibly and wrapped his arms around the weapons master. He murmured into her hair, "I missed you…"

Tenten smiled and buried her face in the front of his shirt. "Me too. I wanted to go home, but Iruka-sensei wanted us to train you."

Neji nodded and held her hand. "Let's go home."

Tenten turned her smiling face up to Hyuuga and let out a small gasp as the Hyuuga brushed his lips softly against hers. The two were barely aware of the others behind them. After a half an hour, the group trudged wearily up the hill that overlooked the three houses. Ino, who was standing outside putting up the laundry, spotted the group and dropped all the clothespins in her mouth. She screeched, "You guys are back!"

Immediately, everyone flocked out to welcome back the group. Hinata spotted Naruto and outran everyone. As Naruto smiled and took a step towards the shy Hyuuga, she glomped him. Naruto fell, yelping in surprise as Hinata cried delightfully, "Naruto-kun!"

Kiba watched from afar, twitching slightly. However, he couldn't help but smile at everyone's happy reaction towards the group's long-awaited return. Shikamaru embraced Chouji. "You had me worried, Chouji."

Chouji smiled as he hugged Shikamaru back. "I missed you too, Shikamaru."

As the group dispersed, Neji took Tenten's hand and led her to the rocks on the cliff overlooking the sea. Tenten smiled softly. "I really missed you, Neji."

Neji smiled softly and embraced Tenten. "Same here…same here…"

Tenten sat down on the rocks with Neji by her side. She gazed at the sea, and Neji felt a surge of content as he watched Tenten looking at the sea dreamily. "I love you, Tenten."

Tenten turned her bright face to Neji in time for a kiss. Tenten closed her eyes contently as all she felt was Neji's soft lips pressed against her own. Vaguely, she felt Neji's arms around her waist, but she wasn't sure. Tenten thought drowsily, _I am the luckiest kunoichi alive…_Neji let go of her lips after a while. Tenten blushed slightly. Neji smirked. "Let's go…"

Tenten stood up obediently, following Neji back to the house. Neji unlocked the door and stepped in. Tenten looked around and asked, "Where's Lee?"

Neji winked. "In the village."

Tenten giggled softly. Neji continued, "Which reminds me, I reserved a spot for us at a restaurant in the village."

Tenten asked, "But you weren't sure that you would have rescued me by noon, right?"  
Neji scoffed, "Well, I did, right? And I swore that nothing would stop me, anyway."

Tenten smiled secretively at Neji's reply. _Wow, he cares for me so much_. Tenten quickly changed into some comfortable clothing and intertwined her fingers around Neji's. She smiled benignly. "Let's go!"

Neji led her into the village. Tenten looked around curiously, wondering if she would spot Lee anywhere. When she didn't see Lee anywhere, she paid attention to the restaurant they had stopped at. Neji smiled thinly at Tenten's shocked expression. "But this is a really expensive restaurant…"

Neji shrugged. "Anything for the one most important to me."

At this, Tenten blushed and allowed Neji to lead her into the restaurant. Neji ordered for the two of them, and Tenten smiled. "Thank you, Neji."

Neji grunted in reply. Tenten smirked inwardly. She leaned forward until her nose was almost touching Neji's. Neji noticed this and couldn't help but blush a little bit at their proximity. Tenten said slowly, "I said 'thank you, Neji'."

Neji twitched and unable to stand their nearness, he leaned back and muttered, "You're welcome."

Tenten sat back and smiled smugly. _I thought so._ They ate their lunch with friendly conversation, and as they left the restaurant, Neji asked, "Did you enjoy it?"

Tenten smiled. "Yeah."

Neji sighed softly. "We better get back."

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Neji shifted uncomfortably. "Um…you see, when you were gone, I kind of…messed up the house a little bit…"

Tenten's expression grew dark, but Neji quickly assured, "But I only messed the house up because I missed you so terribly."

As they walked towards the houses, Tenten prodded Neji. "Hyuuga Neji, don't give me any of your crap. Now I have to clean up the house!"  
Neji offered, "I'll help you."

Tenten's face blanched. "No, that's okay. Remember when you were over at my apartment for lunch, and you broke the plate?"

Neji cringed. "Yeah, but-"

Tenten continued, ignoring him. "And then when you went to get the broom in the closet, and you opened the closet door, the broom fell out and hit you?"

Neji winced. "Yeah, that-"

"And then you stumbled backwards into the couch, and then you fell over it, and then you knocked your head on the table, and then you got up, howling in pain, and then you kicked the sofa, but you hurt your toe, so you were hopping around on one leg, and then you broke the table? Remember that?"

Neji muttered sullenly, "Yes…"

Tenten smiled sweetly. "Therefore, I really prefer you not clean the house."

Neji turned his eyes skyward. "Okay, okay."  
They reached the house and entered it. Tenten shut her eyes tightly, expecting the worse. She cracked one eye open, bracing herself. Surprisingly, it wasn't so bad, compared to the time Neji was at her house for lunch. The three sofas around the coffee table had rips made from kunai, the coffee table itself had a crack inside of it, the kitchen tables had shuriken embedded in it, and the chairs were either broken or cracked. Tenten smiled. "Well, this isn't so bad!"

Neji, who had covered his heads with his arms unconsciously, lowered them tentatively. "It's…not that bad?"

Tenten replied grimly, "Compared to that time?"

Neji winced again. "Yeah."

Tenten got busy cleaning up the house. She managed to finish before dinner, and the weapons master cooked up an excellent dinner. Someone knocked on the door, and Neji opened it. Lee walked in, smiling cheerfully. "Ah, I see Tenten has returned and cleaned up our abode! Oh fair Tenten, have I told you about Neji's tantrums while you were gone?"

Tenten sweatdropped while Neji death-glared at Lee. "Uh…yeah. Why don't you sit down and eat, Lee?"

Lee smiled widely and obeyed. Dinner was eaten in silence, and the dishes were cleared away in silence as well. Neji lit the fireplace and the three settled on the sofas in front of it comfortably. Lee leaned back. "So, Tenten. How was it, in the captives of an evil nin? Did Neji beat him to a bloody pulp?"

Tenten and Neji exchanged glances. Their gaze shifted to the book on the coffee table. Neji made a lunge for it, but Tenten snatched it up faster and promptly buried herself in it. Neji made a face. _Not fair…I have to explain to Lee now!_ With a sigh, Neji relayed the incidents. Lee nodded and made weird comments along the way, but Neji managed to get the point across without much trouble. Lee nodded. "It was wise of Iruka-sensei to train us like that!"

Now that the explaining was done, Tenten laid down the book. "Yeah, I suppose."

Lee continued, "You must have missed our dear Hyuuga so badly!"

Tenten twitched. "Why, yes, I did."

Her aura dared Lee to go on, but he was oblivious to the killer intent radiating from Tenten. "How you must've pined for Neji! I can only say he pined for you as well! Ah, sweet love!"

Both Neji's and Tenten's fist crashed onto Lee's poor head. Tenten huffed, "Good night!"

Neji grabbed her and brushed his lips against hers once again. Lee didn't see since he was rubbing the bump on his head. Tenten smiled softly. "Good night, Neji."

He rubbed her nose with his and murmured, "Good night, Tenten."

The Hyuuga released Tenten and sat back down as Lee focused his attention on him again. Thankfully, Lee didn't see Neji's and Tenten's exchange. Neji and Lee conversed for a few more minutes before Lee decided to retire as well. Neji watched the fire die down to embers before fingering a shuriken. Engraved on one of its blades were the initials 'NxT'. He smiled softly and pocketed it once more before walking to his room and laying down. He fell asleep with the words _Neji and Tenten…_echoing in his head.

* * *

AN: Waah! Sorry for the late update! I had to reformat my laptop…Fun…Anyway, with SATs coming up, updates are definitely going to slow down. Sorry a thousand times over (bows) Oh, and sorry for the OOCness, too. Thank you to Dragon Man 180 for the idea of Hinata glomping Naruto! Enjoy! 


	13. Day 12: Thursday

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

_Italics_ mean what the person is thinking.

AN: Definite pairings: SasukeSakura, TentenNeji, NarutoHinata, and InoShikamaru. There is no Inner Sakura in this fic unless you really really want her in it. This story is slightly AU. Remember, nobody likes a flamer!

* * *

**Three Weeks Vacation**

**Day 12: Thursday (Carnival Part 1)**

Tenten sat up drowsily to the clanging of pots in the morning accompanied by shouting. She muttered sleepily, "What the…"

The kunoichi slipped out of bed and into a robe before heading into the kitchen, where she found Neji and Lee clamoring over breakfast. Neji roared, "Lee, you dumbass, you burned it!"

Lee retorted loudly, "Nonsense, my misinformed comrade! I think it's supposed to be black around the edges…"

Neji ripped the pot from Lee's gloved hand. "Give me that!"

The Hyuuga prodigy prodded the formless shape in the pan with a wooden spoon. A temple throbbed in his forehead as he shoved the mess under poor Lee's nose. "Do you think Tenten will even think about eating that?"

Lee peered at it innocently. "Um…maybe. It looks kinda edible!"

Neji dumped the black object onto a plate and handed it to Lee. "Eat it."

Lee looked flabbergasted. "Eat it?"

Neji emphasized, "Yes. Eat it."

The green beast of Konoha protested, "I can't eat that! It'll kill me!"

Neji threw the mess into the garbage. "Precisely. If you can't eat it, do you think Tenten will be able to? Obviously not."

Just then, Neji spotted Tenten chuckling quietly in the hallway. He glared at her. "What're you laughing at?"

Tenten strode into the kitchen and crossed her arms. She surveyed the mess all over the counters and asked, "What might that be?"

Neji scooted into her view hastily, attempting to block said mess. He reassured her, "Nothing we can't clean up."

Tenten raised an eyebrow. "And what was the earlier argument about?"

The Hyuuga mumbled, "We were trying to cook stuff, and you know, idiot Lee couldn't cook to save his life…"

"I wouldn't be calling him an idiot if I were you, I don't think you can cook either," commented Tenten.

Neji scoffed, and Lee chirped, "Sakura-san just dropped by! She said that everyone's heading to the village. There's supposed to be a carnival there!"

Tenten nodded her appreciation. "Thanks, Lee."

She eyed Neji, who was covered in assorted substances. "You better go change…"

The two disappeared into their respective rooms and emerged five minutes later, freshened up. "Right," said Tenten enthusiastically, "let's meet up with everyone else. You coming, Lee?"

Lee hopped out energetically. "Hai! Anything to see my most precious person!"

Tenten said sympathetically, "Lee, I don't think Sorai-san enjoys you calling her 'precious person' all the time…she has a name, you know."

Lee pondered the suggestion for a moment. Then he grinned at Tenten, "Of course, fellow teammate!"

Tenten took Neji's hand and lead him out the door. She smiled at him. "It'll be fun, won't it, Neji?"

Neji gave Tenten one of his rare smiles. "Of course."

She smiled, pleased, at him and hugged him. They arrived at the top of the hill, where everyone was standing and chatting animatedly. Ino raised her hands, and the chatter died away slowly. She grinned at everyone and said loudly, "Now, as you all know, we're going to the village for the carnival! We don't really need to stick together, but everyone, don't get lost."

Shikamaru muttered loud enough for everyone to hear, "If you do get lost, it'll get troublesome, so please, don't."

The group trooped towards the village. Tenten squealed, "Oh, Neji, it'll be so fun!"

Neji snorted softly as Tenten continued, "I haven't been to a carnival in ages! And all the stuffed animals are absolutely adorable!"

Neji felt a growing dread. _She's going to expect me to play games for her…_Tenten smiled widely at Neji. "Don't you love carnivals as well?"

Neji snapped back to reality. "Huh? Oh, yeah, of course. Especially when someone close to me is going with me."

Tenten blushed and cooed, "Oh, that's so sweet."

Neji mentally congratulated himself. _Smooth, Neji, that was smooth._ He tried not to look smug. However, a moment later, he was sprawled on the ground, face-first in the dust. Neji leapt up, spitting dust and glaring murderously at the rock he tripped over. Tenten was laughing so hard, tears popped into her eyes. "Oh, Neji, that was…that was so not smooth!"

Neji thought wryly, _Oh, the irony…_Moments later, the couples and singles arrived at the village and separated. Tenten pulled Neji towards a game stall. "Oh, look, Neji! It's so adorable! I absolutely need that!"

Neji eyed the shuriken plushie. "That? Do you really?"

He regretted his indifferent comment when he saw the look on Tenten's face. "Oh, of course not, I was just saying…"

Neji stepped up to counter and smirked. _Too easy…throw and hit the can? Too easy…_Neji laid down enough money for three throws. Tenten cheered, "Thank you so much Neji!"

The Hyuuga tried to block out her voice as a blush crept up his face. He aimed the beanbag almost carelessly and threw…only to miss. Tenten fell silent and then laughed nervously. "Must've been the wind! I mean…Neji? Miss?"

Neji picked up the second beanbag and aimed more carefully this time. He threw it and started to smirk, but stopped when the beanbag missed the can the second time as well. Neji held himself back from releasing all his anger on the nearest person and, instead, picked up the third beanbag and promptly squashed it. The vendor blinked a few times at the angry young man and protested, "'Ey, I can't 'ave people comin' in and destroyin' my beanbags!"

Neji slapped down a twenty dollar bill and growled, "Give me another one of those shits."

The burly man handed Neji another beanbag. Neji focused carefully, but at the last moment let out an angry yell and threw the beanbag with all his force. Tenten muttered, "Oh, I don't think-"

However, the beanbag hit the can dead-on and knocked it off the table. The vendor picked up the can, which was bent in half. He stared at it for a moment more before saying meekly, "Well, you earned it by rights…here you go, sir!"

Neji took the plushie murderously and gave it to Tenten. She squealed and threw her arms around Neji's neck. "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you!"

Neji blushed and mumbled, "Don't mention it…Seriously…"

He led the jubilant Tenten to yet another game, where hopefully, he wouldn't have such bad luck.

* * *

Ino whined, "Oh, come on, Shikamaru! Don't be so lazy…"

Shikamaru muttered, "No. Well, not yet. Not right now."

Ino pouted. "Fine, don't play any games…geez…"

Shikamaru tried to appease his girlfriend by pointing out the Ferris Wheel. "Say, look, why don't we ride on that…"

Ino huffed, "If it makes you happy, oh Shika-sama."

Moments later, Shikamaru and Ino were seated in one of the Ferris Wheel's many carriages. Ino was leaning moodily against the side of the carriage, elbow propped on the wall. She looked down at the rest of the carnival through half-lidded eyes. Ino sneaked a glance at Shikamaru, who was leaning against the other side of the carriage, elbow propped on the wall as well. He was looking forward lazily. Ino pointed out loudly, "Say, look, I think I see Sakura…and there's Sasuke, I think, with her…"

Receiving no response, Ino continued loudly, "They look like they're having fun…At least they're playing games!"

Shikamaru muttered, "That's nice, Ino."

The blonde huffed and fell silent. As they neared the top of the wheel, she spoke up again. "Mmmm…Sasuke-kun looks really sexy…"

Shikamaru remained the same. Ino grew more annoyed and said loudly, "I said, 'Sasuke-kun looks really sexy!'"

Shikamaru replied monotonously, "If you're trying to make me jealous, it's not working."

Ino defended herself hastily, "Who says I'm making you jealous? I'm just saying-"

"-'Sasuke's very sexy', yes, I heard," finished Shikamaru.

Ino pouted. "Oh, come on, Shika-kun, this is boring…"

Shikamaru sighed, but he didn't say anything. Ino sighed as well and fell silent. As they reached the top of the Ferris Wheel, the machine suddenly came to a grinding halt. Ino lamented loudly, "Oh wonderful! How classic! I'm stuck atop a Ferris Wheel with a lazyass genius! Woe is me!"

Shikamaru shut his eyes. "Ino…please be quiet."

Ino continued on sorrowfully, "Does anyone have a boyfriend like me? One who's so lazy, he won't accompany a poor girl like me to play games?"

Here, Ino whacked Shikamaru on the back of his head. "I think not!"

Shikamaru protested, "Oh, come on, here, I'll play games with you after this stupid ride!"

Ino brightened and laid her head on Shikamaru's shoulder. She fluttered her eyelashes and cooed, "Really, Shika-kun?"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes and replied, "Yes. How troublesome…"

Ino sat up again and retorted, "Too bad."

The couple remained silent with Shikamaru's occasional mutterings as the Ferris Wheel jerked back into order. They descended, and Ino grinned wickedly. She took Shikamaru's arm and led him to a game stall. "How about that one, Shika…"

* * *

Naruto grinned energetically at Hinata. "Hinata-chan! What do you want to do?"

Hinata poked her fingers together shyly. "A-Anything you want, N-Naruto-kun…"

Naruto grabbed Hinata's hand and squeezed. "Alright! Here, I'll win you something as a token of my love, ne?"

Hinata blushed and smiled. Naruto lead her through the crowd to the first game stall he could find. Naruto brightened. "Look, Hinata-chan! The prize is really kawaii, ne? Just like you!"

Hinata blushed again. She admired the lavender unicorn staring at up at her with huge eyes. "It's v-very cute…"

Naruto grinned at the game. The vendor roared, "Toss a ball into the hoop and win a lovely prize! You, m'lad, would ya like to play?"

Naruto stepped up boldly. "Hai!"

He winked at Hinata, making her blush, and turned to the hoop. He aimed with careful precision and tossed. The ball soared through the air beautifully and landed in the hoop. He hooted, and the vendor gave him a small pink bear plushie. Naruto ogled at it and protested loudly, "Ano sa, what about that bear one? The purple one?"

The vendor replied, "That one's the grand prize. Make the hoop four more times, and I'll give it to ya!"

Naruto squawked, "What a rip-off!"

Hinata offered quietly, "We d-don't have to p-play, Naruto-kun…"

Naruto rolled up his sleeves. "Nonsense! Give me that!"

After six more throws, Naruto beamed. He had only missed two of them, and he won the plushie as well! Naruto took it carefully and dashed to Hinata. He gave her the plushie and beamed. Hinata smiled widely, her eyes moist. "Oh, thank you so much, Naruto-kun…"

Naruto grinned widely. "You didn't stutter!"

He hugged her and spun her around once before setting her down. Hinata buried her face in Naruto's shirt, glad that she was with the person she loved. Naruto took her hand gently and led her to a food stall. He was content to stare at Hinata the whole night. _I'm so lucky…_Hinata blushed and stammered, "Naruto-kun, p-please, stop s-staring…"

Naruto grinned slyly. "But you're so cute!"

He did turn away however and order a small snack for both of them. Naruto turned his face upwards to stare at the sky. He asked seriously, "Ano sa, Hinata-chan, if you had one wish, what would it be?"

Hinata turned her face towards Naruto. She replied serenely, "To stay with the one I love forever."

Naruto looked at Hinata and grinned. "That's really nice…"

Hinata leaned forward and pecked Naruto on the nose. They blushed, and Naruto hastily announced, "Our food has arrived!"

He dug in energetically, but Hinata was content to watch. Naruto paused to ask, "Aren't you eating, Hinata-chan?"

She shook her head, and he asked, "D'you want something else?"

Hinata stammered, "N-No, I'm fine, N-Naruto-kun."

The couple sat in the stall, each content with the other's presence.

**

* * *

**

Sasuke turned his head to Sakura, who was bouncing cheerfully along with him. He asked, "What're you so happy about?"

Sakura twirled around and grabbed his hand. "It's a carnival, Sasuke-kun. I love carnivals!"

Sasuke mused, "I haven't been to one since…since Itachi…"

Sakura's face fell. "Oh, I'm so sorry, maybe we should-"

Sasuke squeezed her hand and interrupted, "No, I'm fine. I'm with you, how could I not be fine? Everything feels perfect tonight."

Sakura blushed and laid her head on Sasuke's shoulder. Sakura asked, "So, where do you want to go first?"

Sasuke replied, "How about a ride? Or a game. Anything you want."

Sakura raised an eyebrow and turned her head so she was right under Sasuke's nose. "Are you sure you're Sasuke-kun? Because the one I know is a real ice cube."

Sasuke gave a, "Hn."

"If you don't believe it's me, then don't," he replied.

Sakura laughed and kissed him. "Of course I believe it's you, Sasuke-kun!"

_Sasuke-kun_, thought Sasuke. _I've grown so accustomed to that name. If she should stop calling me that…_Sasuke gave Sakura one of his rare smiles. Sakura squealed, "Oh, I know, let's go walk the sakura grove!"

Sasuke asked, "They have one here?"

His girlfriend replied, "Yeah! I saw it on a flier. Let's go this way!"

Sasuke allowed himself to be dragged by Sakura to the outskirts of the village, where the carnival was still held. Sasuke pointed. "Say, is it that?"  
Sakura peered at it and nodded. She dashed off towards it with Sasuke hastily following her. Soon, they reached the entrance of the grove. Sakura whispered, "Wow…it's so beautiful…"

Sasuke took her hand again. "Aa…"

They followed the path being showered by the pink petals. Sasuke eyed the flowers drifting through the air and caught one. It was undamaged and completely whole. Sasuke put it in Sakura's hair. She looked up and blushed. "Arigatou, Sasuke-kun…"

They stopped and sat down on a log a little off the road. Sakura continued to look around, entranced by the petals. However, her companion was totally immersed in her. Sasuke reached a hand and touched Sakura's cheek. She turned towards him to find his mouth pressed against hers. Sakura's heart skipped a beat with shock, but calmed as she enjoyed his taste. Moments later, they broke the kiss with much reluctance. Sasuke muttered, looking away, "I shouldn't have done that. Sorry."

Sakura took both his hands. "Of course you should've, silly…"

Sakura smiled coyly at Sasuke, and he smirked. Sakura hugged the Uchiha sitting next to her. For a few minutes, everything was silent. Then, Sasuke noticed that Sakura was sniffing and his lap was slightly damp. Sasuke lifted up her chin, and to his surprise, found her crying silently. Sasuke panicked. "Sakura, what's wrong?"

Sakura sniffed and rubbed her eyes, turning away from him. "It's nothing…it's really silly of me to cry over, you wouldn't care-"

Sasuke grabbed her arms and said fiercely, "Of course I care! Tell me what's wrong."

Sakura smiled through her tears. "It's just that…I've always dreamt of being with you…and now I am…and this is like my dream…"

Sasuke relaxed. _Geez, so this is what she was crying over…_Sasuke hugged her carefully. "Yeah…I love you, Sakura…"

He felt her embrace him and reply, "I love you too, Sasuke-kun."

The two sat, embracing each other in the midst of falling sakura petals, and at peace.

* * *

Lee found Sorai, throwing darts at a board of balloons. He winced as the dart punctured the poor balloon, and called, "Sorai-san!"

Sorai turned around and smiled widely. "Lee! How good of you to come!"

She hopped away from the counter and gave Lee a huge hug. "How's it going, Lee-san?"

Lee grinned. "Wonderful, my beautiful blossom! Now, should we play a game?"

Sorai gestured towards a few plushies on the counter. "I won those."

Lee raised his eyebrow and congratulated his girlfriend. "That's great! What'd you play?"

Sorai answered, "Mostly throwing games, like this dart one, and there was this one beanbag-hit-the-can one, and another one where you use knives to try and pin a duck, which is on a conveyor belt…"

Lee sweat-dropped and held up his hands. _Wow…she's a violent one?_ "Aren't those games too…uh…violent for you?"

Sorai scoffed. "Nonsense! I saw this one where you put someone on a spinning wheel and throw knives at their outline! I was waiting for you to come. Now let's go!"

Lee let out a whimper as Sorai dragged him away. He tried to reason with his excited girlfriend. "Say, Sorai-san, don't you think that's kind of dangerous?"

Sorai scoffed again. "I'm a good shuriken thrower. Why, are you scared? Don't you trust me?"

Lee assured her, "Of course I trust you, my lovely flower! And of course I'm not scared!"

Sorai grinned wickedly. "Oh, good. Then let's go!"

As Lee was being dragged to his doom, he pointed out many things and shouted, "Sorai-san! How about that plushie? The pink one? Cute, ne? No? What about that ride! It doesn't look so bad! Waah, Sorai-san, please don't throw knives at me while I'm strapped defenseless to a moving wheel!"

Sorai jerked Lee's arm. "Oh, stop being such a cry-baby! It's fun! You can do it to me when I'm done!"

Lee restrained from howling out, _If there's anything left of me when you're done! _As they neared the game, screams of terror could be heard. Lee glimpsed through the crowd, a spinning wheel and a person strapped on it. _Why the hell do they have this kind of game anyway? Sheesh!_ Lee let out one last whimper before Sorai yelled, "Hey! Over here! I want to try!"

Lee groaned and muttered, "I've died and been sent to the deepest depths of hell…"

* * *

AN: I'm afraid to read my reviews for fear they're flames about my lateness…Don't kill me…

Anyway...it's kind of OOC...so ignore that...

And yeah, don't kill me.


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